- Upgrades to housing for Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
returning from Cyprus.
- Defence Secretary and Housing Minister meet families already
benefitting.
- Investment is part of an overhaul of UK military properties,
which will see 9 in 10 Defence family homes - over 40,000 - will
be modernised or upgraded.
More than 120 military families in Woolwich will live in
newly refurbished properties, as part of an overhaul that is
already benefitting families returning from deployment to Cyprus.
Defence Secretary MP and local MP and Housing
Minister met today with some of
the families benefitting from the renewal of Armed Forces housing
at Woolwich Barracks in South London.
They toured several freshly refurbished properties where a
full suite of upgrades such as new kitchens, bathrooms,
flooring, and heating systems had been completed, giving military
families homes fit for heroes. The properties they visited are
the first of over 120 which are being upgraded ahead of
the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment returning from
deployment in Cyprus.
Backed by £9 billion investment Armed Forces personnel and their
families are benefitting from the most significant transformation
of UK military housing in more than 50 years, with more than
40,000 service family homes to be modernised, refurbished or
rebuilt.
This investment in housing is backed by the largest sustained
increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War,
hitting 2.6% of GDP from April 2027.
The upgrade of military housing follows the publication of the
Defence Housing Strategy last year - a ten-year plan to transform
Armed Forces accommodation across the nation.
In recent weeks, the Defence Secretary announced that thousands
of military homes across Britain - such as those in Woolwich -
will be upgraded over the coming year, building on the 1,250
worst-condition properties already brought up to standard.
Defence Secretary MP said:
"Our Armed Forces and their families give so much in service to
this country, and when they return from deployment they deserve
to come home to a property they can be proud of.
“That's exactly what we're delivering here in Woolwich – modern,
refurbished homes fit for heroes, backed by our government's
record investment. I'm determined that every service family gets
the decent home they deserve.”
Backed by a record £9 billion investment, this ‘generational
renewal' of service family homes will see tens of thousands of
Armed Forces houses modernised or upgraded, with around 14,000
receiving substantial refurbishment or replacement, ensuring
homes fit for our forces and their families.
It follows the Ministry of Defence's landmark deal to bring
36,000 properties back into public ownership, saving taxpayers
£600,000 per day.
The renewal of defence housing builds on the government's
commitment to renew the contract with those who serve. It follows
personnel being awarded the largest pay rise in over 20 years,
the appointment of the Armed Forces Commissioner to act as an
independent voice for personnel and families, and the scrapping
of 100 outdated recruitment policies.
ENDS
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