Shapps admits prospect of commanders and juniors living side by side is 'problematic'
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has admitted that the prospect of senior commanders and junior ranks living side by side in subsidised military housing is "problematic".
Speaking with Forces News, Mr Shapps said he shares concerns from some personnel with parts of the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) controversial accommodation plan, which has caused anger among some service families.
When asked if the proposed policy to house commissioned officers and junior ranks together was thought through, Mr Shapps responded by saying "there are some good features to it that actually virtually everyone is in agreement with," although he is "going to put the rest of it on hold", including the way housing is allocated.
He added that "we want to get the best for everyone," and "the way to that is not to ram through a change which has so many issues and that is why I have stepped in to stop it."
His comments come after the MOD initially defended its decision to make sweeping changes to the way it allocates its housing stock, then later confirmed it would pause the housing rule changes, after an online petition was launched.
The Defence Secretary went on to say that the controversial policy has "been years in the making" and that he is "just not happy" with the proposed policy, which was due to be implemented on 11 March 2024.
When quizzed about how long the review would take, Mr Shapps couldn't provide a timeframe, and said: "I want to make sure it is done properly I am not trying to rush it through, so I am not trying to get to this and relaunch it next month, so for the time being that part of it is off."
He went on to say: "What I will do, though, is make this simple pledge. It doesn't matter where you are or what position you are in or what rank you are at, what I want to do is get decent accommodation for everyone.
"That is why I have put £400m into sorting out the accommodation."
Mr Shapps added: "We've got a lot of estate, and we ought to be able to use it better.
"We ask people to go off and do extraordinary things for us abroad. We need to make sure that when people come home, it is comfortable as well, and that is what I am after achieving as well, for everyone in our Armed Forces."
The new policy, which was due to come into force next month would have meant housing would be allocated based on need and not just rank.
This would have meant larger homes, typically reserved for more senior officers, would have been allocated to more junior ranks depending on the number of dependents under their care.
Called the Modernised Accommodation Offer, the rule changes would have also seen those who are not married qualify for service families accommodation (SFA) for the first time – but this review has now left up to 45,000 personnel in limbo.
One senior officer, speaking to Forces News anonymously, expressed concerns about SFA stock numbers, as the MOD is not building new homes to account for the increase in those who will be eligible if the rules do change.
He warned that personnel would "100%" leave the military due to the proposed changes.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
