- Stephen Morgan MP hails Labour Government’s backing for forces families as over 780 forces family homes in Portsmouth set for a boost in landmark new plan.
- Labour’s new Defence Housing Strategy sets out biggest renewal of military housing in over half a century, with over 40,000 military homes upgraded and modernised.
- Labour’s plan will also supercharge housebuilding on surplus Defence land – delivering new homes for veterans, military and civilian families in South East England.
Armed forces families in 14,435 military homes across the South East will see a major boost from Labour’s new plan to end the scandal of poor-quality military housing.
Published today, the new Defence Housing Strategy will see the Government invest a record £9 billion over the next decade to deliver homes fit for our heroes. The plan delivers on Labour’s commitment to our forces – and their families – who make huge sacrifices to keep Britain safe.
Stephen Morgan MP says military families across Portsmouth are set to benefit from the plan – with the Government committed to upgrading and modernising 9 in 10 forces family homes, and the creation of a new Defence Housing Service to better support military families.
Today’s plan was made possible by Labour’s deal to bring 36,000 forces family homes back into public ownership earlier this year, including 12,466 homes in South East England. This ended a disastrous 1996 Tory privatisation of military housing which cost the taxpayer billions. Labour’s landmark buy-back saved over £200 million per year in rent payments, savings which are now being reinvested in fixing forces homes.
The plan delivers on Labour’s manifesto commitment to back Britain’s Armed Forces community after years of chronic underinvestment by the Conservatives left satisfaction with service accommodation at record lows – driving down military morale driving many to leave the forces.
Announcing the major boost for local military families, Stephen Morgan MP said:
“I have long campaigned to fix the houses available to those who bravely serve our nation. The previous Government failed in its duties to our forces with too many service personnel, veterans and their families living in shameful conditions.
“In an era where we must rely upon our armed forces community more with each passing day, it is only right that those continuously ensuring Britain remains safe from threat are provided the opportunity to live in a decent home.
“I welcome the announcement of this Government’s new Defence Housing Strategy, marking the greatest renewal for armed forces housing in over half a century.
I will always have the backs of our Armed Forces, as they have ours. This Government will do so by delivering the modern, quality homes that our forces and their loved ones deserve.”
The plan will also supercharge the use of surplus Defence land for housebuilding – benefitting both the Armed Forces community and civilian families across the South East. Through a new ‘Forces First’ approach, veterans and serving personnel will receive a ‘first dibs’ purchase priority on new homes, including some affordable homes.
Delivering more homes, in the right places, also means that the Ministry of Defence can widen housing eligibility to more service personnel – such as couples in long-term relationships and 8 those who are non-resident parents – to better reflect modern life. Building homes to meet the extra demand will take time, but in the interim, a rental support scheme will allow service personnel to rent privately while homes are made available.
Commenting, Labour’s Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:
“Our British forces personnel and our veterans fulfil the ultimate public service. Our nation is rightly proud of them.
“This new Strategy will embed a ‘Forces First’ approach that tells our forces, our veterans and their families: we are on your side.
“We can’t fix forces housing overnight, but this effort is already underway and will now accelerate. By creating a specialist Defence Housing Service, backed by record investment in military accommodation, we will deliver better value for the taxpayer and fulfil our promise to provide homes fit for heroes.”
Key points of the Defence Housing Strategy include:
- A generational renewal of military housing – 9 in 10 military homes (over 40,000 houses) will be modernised or upgraded to new, higher standards, with 14,000 homes rebuilt or substantially refurbished, funded by the Government’s record uplift in Defence spending.
- A ‘Forces First’ approach – underpinned by a new, standalone Defence Housing Service to better manage military homes while keeping them in public hands, putting the voices of forces families at the forefront and delivering new homeownership opportunities for military personnel and veterans.
- Delivering for the nation – kickstarting a historic programme of housebuilding on surplus Defence land, with the potential for over 100,000 new homes for civilian and military families, delivering billions of pounds in economic output and supporting thousands of jobs. This is another example of Defence as an engine for growth.
Under the Conservatives, satisfaction with the standard of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) fell to record lows in 2023, while the Defence Select Committee reported that two thirds of SFA was ‘essentially no longer fit for purpose’. The Committee found that quality of housing was having a significant impact on Armed Forces recruitment, retention and morale.
Today’s plan is funded by Labour’s historic commitment to raise defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, to meet this new era of threat and back the outstanding men and women of our Armed Forces. The Labour government has already delivered the largest pay rise for Armed Forces personnel in over 20 years.
