Many forces homes 'in bad state'

By Caroline Wyatt Defence correspondent, BBC News

Pictures of poor military housing were sent to the BBC in 2007

A third of armed forces families in Ministry of Defence housing are unhappy with the standard of their home, a National Audit Office report suggests.

Of 12,427 families surveyed, 52% told the NAO their home was in good condition, but 31% said it was poor.

The Whitehall spending watchdog said that at current rates of progress, it would take the MoD 20 years to get all its housing stock up to standard.

Ministers say they will spend �8bn on military homes over the next decade.

The MoD provides housing for 42,000 Army, Royal Navy and RAF families and 20,000 move house every year.

More than 9,000 properties - or 18% - are currently standing empty, many because they are in the wrong location or are too small for family needs.

The MoD spends �38m a year on maintaining vacant properties and �16m on private rented accommodation for families it cannot house.

'Endless list'

The National Audit Office poll showed 43% of respondents were unhappy with the state of the carpets provided in their homes, 38% with the overall condition of repair and 35% with the level of cleanliness when they moved in.

Maintenance - and long waits for repairs - were cited by many as an issue.

Servicemen's wives have become so frustrated that several are now speaking out in public, though they are still reluctant to give their names in case their husbands' careers suffer as a result.

We are talking about people with young children living in damp accommodation and this will actually be affecting their health Royal British Legion Read your comments

One wife told the BBC: "We've had everything from leaking roofs, leaking guttering because it hasn't been cleared, a ceiling collapse, water leaking into our double glazing, carpets you wouldn't use in a dog's bed, let alone in a human house. The list is pretty endless."

Another wife wrote: "My banister collapsed as I was coming down the stairs. I was carrying my son, who's one, and I was seven months pregnant at the time. I'd asked for the banister to be repaired three weeks earlier."

Sue Freeth, director of welfare at the Royal British Legion, said: "Housing is incredibly important. These are families living very stressful lives, they're being separated now for longer terms than in the past.

"We are talking about people with young children living in damp accommodation and this will actually be affecting their health, on top of all the stresses and strains of having someone serving in Afghanistan."

'Under-investment legacy'

Edward Leigh, Conservative chairman of the public accounts committee which oversees the NAO, said the MoD was not moving fast enough to bring homes up to standard.

"We ask a lot of our servicemen and women, so it is the least we can do to house their families in Britain in decent accommodation," he said.

What we are dealing with is a legacy of under-investment, and it is a huge task Defence Minister Kevan Jones

The MoD says it has upgraded 1,700 houses over the past two years, and will upgrade more at a rate of 800 a year, spending �8bn over the next decade.

At present, it spends about �425m a year on accommodation for service personnel and about �40m on refurbishment.

Defence Minister Kevan Jones said he was determined to ensure all military personnel got the high quality homes they deserved.

"We know there are still problems with some military accommodation but I am committed to addressing these and continuing to improve housing for all the families of service personnel," he said.

"We owe them that. What we are dealing with is a legacy of under-investment, and it is a huge task."

The MoD insists its programme of upgrading properties is addressing the issues.

Lindsay and her husband, Corporal Justin Walby, have moved into a newly renovated home at Blandford Barracks in Dorset with their six-month-old baby.

She said they had spent several years in a house where the toilet sometimes would not flush and the heating was temperamental.

"It's unbelievable - we were so happy we were finally getting out of the old house," she said.

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