• Dame Nia Griffith hails UK Labour Government’s backing for forces families as 800 forces family homes in Wales 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 Wales.
Armed forces families in 800 homes across Wales will see a major boost from Labour’s new plan to end the scandal of poor-quality military housing.
The new Defence Housing Strategy will see the UK 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.
Dame Nia Griffith, Member of Parliament for Llanelli, says military families across Wales 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.
The plan was made possible by Labour’s deal to bring 36,000 forces family homes back into public ownership earlier this year, including 779 homes in Wales. 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.
Dame Nia Griffith said:
“Our armed forces serve and protect our nation every single day and show great dedication to keep us safe and defend our values and freedoms.
The condition of some of the homes in recent years that their families have been asked to live in has been nothing short of scandalous. Bringing those properties back into public ownership and making this investment to bring them up to standard is the right decision.”
The plan will also supercharge the use of surplus Defence land for housebuilding – benefitting both the Armed Forces community and civilian families. 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 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.
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. And the very least they deserve is a decent home.??
“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.”
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.
The investment 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.