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Last Updated: Friday, 23 February 2007, 12:02 GMT
Upgrade for military camp housing
Blandford Camp
About 3,000 people are based at Blandford Camp
The Ministry of Defence will invest �4m on improving family accommodation at a military camp in Dorset.

The government pledged to improve armed forces housing following criticism of conditions by a senior Army officer last month.

The money will be spent at The Royal School of Signals' Blandford Camp.

Uncertainty over the base's future meant only the minimal amounts required for essential maintenance were spent on accommodation there in recent years.

But Defence Secretary Des Browne MP said last month that Blandford Camp would not close in the immediate future.

'Much needed funds'

The sum was revealed after a tabled question from North Dorset MP Robert Walter.

He said: "I am pleased that the MoD have finally decided to allocate much needed funds for improvements to service families accommodation at Blandford Camp.

"I hope this will be enough, because many of the houses are almost uninhabitable.

"Service families should be able to expect a high standard of accommodation."

A spokesman for Defence Estates - which manages armed forces estates in the UK - said the MoD expects to spend more than �5bn over the next decade on housing and living accommodation.


SEE ALSO
RAF base loses training contract
17 Jan 07 |  Shropshire
Brown pledge over forces housing
07 Jan 07 |  UK Politics

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