With the government to grow its service personnel it is ironic that we must ask: how can the armed forces expand with nowhere for them to live?
Nowhere fit for human habitation, anyway.
It seems that the Tories have left another big mess behind: two years after the BBC reported that military families were living in damp and mouldy conditions, and the Ministry of Defence vowed to fix the problem, a cross-party group of MPs has discovered that the problem not only persists, but has been found in single-living accommodation.
Issues include a lack of hot water for months in winter, heating failure, flooding, damp, rat infestations and inadequate facilities for washing and cooking, according to the report.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The cross-party report comes at a time when the government is hoping to recruit thousands more people into the armed forces, relaxing the rules to allow people with acne and asthma to join.
The report says the state of the accommodation “is having an adverse effect on recruitment and retention” and This Writer is not surprised. Black mould can trigger or worsen asthma symptoms; it would be as though the British were subjecting these people to torture before any enemy could get near them.
Before everybody gets carried away and starts pointing the finger at ‘Austerity 2.0’ Rachel Reeves for failing to ensure there was enough cash in the kitty, let’s bear in mind that this problem was identified two years ago when the Tories were running the Ministry of Defence.
It’s just that Labour doesn’t seem able to do anything about it either. The cross-party group said its members were “not confident” that funding will be made available to tackle the issue.
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How can the armed forces expand with nowhere for them to live?
With the government to grow its service personnel it is ironic that we must ask: how can the armed forces expand with nowhere for them to live?
Nowhere fit for human habitation, anyway.
It seems that the Tories have left another big mess behind: two years after the BBC reported that military families were living in damp and mouldy conditions, and the Ministry of Defence vowed to fix the problem, a cross-party group of MPs has discovered that the problem not only persists, but has been found in single-living accommodation.
Issues include a lack of hot water for months in winter, heating failure, flooding, damp, rat infestations and inadequate facilities for washing and cooking, according to the report.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The cross-party report comes at a time when the government is hoping to recruit thousands more people into the armed forces, relaxing the rules to allow people with acne and asthma to join.
The report says the state of the accommodation “is having an adverse effect on recruitment and retention” and This Writer is not surprised. Black mould can trigger or worsen asthma symptoms; it would be as though the British were subjecting these people to torture before any enemy could get near them.
Before everybody gets carried away and starts pointing the finger at ‘Austerity 2.0’ Rachel Reeves for failing to ensure there was enough cash in the kitty, let’s bear in mind that this problem was identified two years ago when the Tories were running the Ministry of Defence.
It’s just that Labour doesn’t seem able to do anything about it either. The cross-party group said its members were “not confident” that funding will be made available to tackle the issue.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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