Army wives accuse MoD of ‘utter betrayal’ over new military accommodation plan
The Ministry of Defence has been accused of an “utter betrayal” over a new military accommodation plan that will no longer allocate houses based on rank.
A group of Army wives has launched a campaign calling on the Government to rethink its new housing policy that will mean many families are moved into smaller living quarters.
Servicemen and women are, along with their families, provided with accommodation on or near military bases. Staff have historically been rewarded with larger homes as they progress through the ranks.
But from next month, the MoD will change the rules across the Army, Navy and RAF so that for the first time houses are allocated on the basis of how many children a serviceman or woman has, not their rank.
The policy, called the Modern Accommodation Offer (MAO), means officers risk having their living space reduced, with the biggest loss incurred by those with smaller families.
‘Dismantling access to decent housing’
The move has sparked outrage from the families of officers who are often forced to move around the country every two or three years and often have little to no choice over where they live.
Rosie Bucknall, the wife of an Army captain, told the defence select committee in written evidence that the “social contract” that exists between the military and its personnel will be “eroded” if the plans go ahead.
She said: “The offer, as those serving call it, has been persistently degraded over recent decades, and now they are dismantling our access to decent housing.
“For officers and their family members, who have made personal and financial sacrifices for 10 or 20 years, this is utter betrayal.”
Mrs Bucknall waived her right to anonymity when giving evidence to the select committee to express her concerns about the new model but many spouses have refused to speak publicly, fearing the impact on their partner’s career.
A petition set up by the Army wives urging a “review” of the policy has received 16,000 signatures. It warns: “If the policy is implemented as it currently stands, we believe that Armed Forces retention rates are likely to fall to even lower levels than those at present.”
Drop in recruitment and retention
The military is suffering a huge recruitment and retention problem, with the number of people leaving the Armed Forces having jumped by almost a fifth at the end of last year.
Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, has warned the new model could prove a “tipping point” that forces officers to go into the private sector, further impacting the already diminished size of the military.
A record 792 Army officers left the service early in the last quarter, compared with roughly 450-550 per quarter over the past decade, according to the quarterly service personnel statistics.
The poor quality of military accommodation has been raised as problematic for recruitment and a 2023 survey found the most frequently cited reason for leaving the military was the “impact on family and personal life”.
A recent poll conducted by the military officers’ families found that 78 per cent of the 342 respondents said that if the new offer does come into effect, they will leave.
Under the MAO, military families will not be forced to move immediately, but will be allocated housing at their next posting under the new rules.
The military currently gives guidance on the size of homes, by square feet, that different ranks are entitled to.
However, under the rules, warrant officers with one child or no children are set to lose 10 per cent of their living space.
Brigadiers with the same family set-up are set to lose 45 per cent of their living space.
It means a captain with two children currently living in a three-bed house could be moved into a three-bed house in soldiers’ accommodation, which is around 20 per cent smaller for the same number of bedrooms.
Work together, live apart
Mrs Bucknall, 32, told The Telegraph: “Family accommodation for soldiers is in desperate need of improvement. Why not bring up the minimum standard of accommodation for everyone?”
She also said in her written evidence: “It is abundantly clear that Army officers are the worst affected cohort, given the Army is expected to be more nationally mobile than the Navy or RAF, given that commanders rightly place a premium on accompanied service in order to enhance the morale, cohesion and fighting power of their units, and given that officers are expected to move much more frequently than soldiers who can remain with their unit for up to 12 years.”
The pilot for this policy only engaged those who opted in because they would benefit, it was claimed.
The Telegraph understands no effort was made to survey military personnel and their families at large, despite this being hailed as the biggest change to accommodation in a generation.
Just 69 people were interviewed about the impact of this policy.
Lord Dannatt said the military had always functioned on hierarchy, where soldiers and officers worked together but lived apart.
“There has always been married quarters and soldiers quarters,” he said. “They work together but socialise separately and it’s the same for married accommodation. Officers should live amongst each other, and non-commissioned officers and soldiers should live together, to avoid the difficulties of your next-door neighbour being your boss or one of your subordinates.”
An MoD spokesman said: “Our Armed Forces personnel make extraordinary sacrifices to protect our nation, which is why our Modern Accommodation Offer puts fairness first.
“We’re now allocating housing based on need, rather than rank, and modernising accommodation by recognising for the first time those in established long-term relationships and parents with non-resident children.”
“We will of course look into any individual case raised with us to ensure we are meeting our aim to provide the best possible accommodation to our personnel.”
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