Mixed reception for British Army plan to move away from rank-based accommodation
The British Army is set to move away from rank-based accommodation, a decision that has been met with mixed reviews.
The Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on Tuesday, said the Ministry of Defence (MOD) would stop allocating family accommodation based on rank, and instead move to a system that is needs-based.
The MOD said, in practice, the factors would be based on the "number of dependents, access needs or a need arising from the job the service person is in".
"We anticipate that a person of more junior rank could request to live in a larger house in comparison to a higher-ranking individual who has a lower need," the MOD said.
"We recognise the invaluable contribution partners and families make to service life and the critical supporting role they play in sustaining operational capability, while also recognising that our accommodation offer should reflect contemporary needs.
"We are due to report more fully on this in the autumn."
Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, told the Telegraph the change to the allocation of housing could be a "tipping point" for those seeking new careers.
The former service chief said while you may be able to "see the logic" behind the decision, "it becomes controversial" when put into place.
He added there has always been a degree of separation in military quarters, between both married quarters and soldiers' quarters and between Junior Ranks, Sergeant's Mess and Officers' Mess.
"They work together but socialise separately and it's the same for married accommodation," he said.
And Lord Dannatt said there should be the separation between personnel "to avoid the difficulties of your next-door neighbour being your boss or one of your subordinates".
Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Defence Select Committee, agreed with Lord Dannatt, telling the Telegraph "there is a reason why officers' and soldiers' messes are distinct – to separate the social from the operational".
He added the MOD needs the housing to make up for "non-competitive salaries and this new policy could deter some from continuing to serve".
The Defence Command Paper Refresh outlined that £400m will be spent modernising accommodation that UK "service families deserve".
It comes after military families complained in January about the poor standard of housing military families were being forced to live in.
In February, the Shadow Defence Secretary commissioned a full-scale, independent review of military housing.
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