Sitrep: Proposed VAT hike on private schooling will destabilise military families
Government plans to implement 20% VAT on private school fees from January for military personnel are a betrayal that will destabilise military families, a former senior Army officer has warned.
Hamish de Bretton Gordon was speaking on the latest Sitrep podcast – which analyses the top defence stories of the week and is available wherever you get your podcasts.
He said the move would leave service personnel unable to focus on their job if they do not think their family is in a safe, stable environment at home.
The former tank commander used his own education as an example, explaining that as a result of his parent's deployments, he would have had to have gone to 13 schools across his educational career if he hadn't gone to a boarding school.
"That instability, that moving around, not that the state schools are bad at all, but when you're moving every year or so, it's very destabilising," he said.
"My own children went to three primary schools before the age of seven.
"They then went to boarding school and stayed in the same school.
"I actually left the Army a bit early, so I have had personal experience of paying for school fees myself as a civilian, and I had a good job.
"Every penny I [had] was spent on the school fees, and but for the Army pension, I wouldn't have been able to afford to live.
"But going back, I think people… think that boarding school is free for military families. It's not you know, you still pay 50 or 60%, which is a huge amount because soldiers and airmen and sailors don't earn a massive salary.
"The 20% on top will break the back."
He also said the move was one that might severely affect recruiting and retention, pointing out it is not just an issue for officers.
"It's open for everybody. When I was commanding the 1st Royal Tank Regiment I encouraged everybody," he said.
"And the amount, the uptake in the other ranks was huge.
"We know how dreadful military housing is.
"You put this on top and while men and women that we expect to be around the world defending us, if they're worried about their families, they're not going be on it."
This is a sentiment echoed by Maria Lyle, the director of the RAF Families Federation, who agreed it could damage the retention of serving personnel.
"If you're talking about dual-serving couples, we're very keen to try and retain both men and women in our Armed Forces," she said.
"Any dual-serving couple could be sending their children to boarding school and that means you may not just lose one, but two members of the military if they feel they cannot maintain their family life in the way they are doing at the moment."
She also pointed out how those serving overseas might have to use a boarding school at home if there were no English language options.
"Those posts are often more senior ranks, more experienced personnel doing influential jobs on behalf of the British defence," she said.
"So if we lose the people going into those roles because they can't afford to pay for their children's school fees, that's really important given what's going on in the world at the moment."
In response to the Government's plan, the Navy Families Federation said the planned implementation of the new rules midway through the academic year meant many service parents might not be able to give a term's notice.
It said this could have huge repercussions for them and their children.
Equally, the Army Families Federation pointed out the reliance that families have on the continuity of education allowance to pay school fees and that it needs to be reviewed in time for 20% VAT being added to school fees.
Ms Lyle urged the Government to give a date for the outcome of the move.
"We would ask Government, that includes Treasury and MOD, for some sort of [guarantee] so military families can rest easy that they're going to be able to afford the bills in the next few months," she said.
You can listen to Sitrep wherever you get your podcasts, including on the Forces News YouTube channel.
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