Labour’s £9 billion Plan to Fix Forces Housing
The men and women from Stockport and across the North West who serve in our military represent the best of Britain. The very least they deserve is a safe and decent home.
Too often over the past 14 years, forces families in the North West were let down as the Conservatives failed to invest in their housing. And this goes back further. In 1996, the Conservative Government under John Major sold off our military housing in one of the worst privatisation deals imaginable – selling off armed forces married quarters and renting them back at taxpayers’ expense.
By the time Labour entered Government, these rental payments had hit £600,000 a day, with homes run down and left to rot. Private investors cashed in while families lost out. So after six months in office, we announced the landmark buy-back of 36,000 homes, bringing forces’ family housing into public ownership where they belong.
This week, we launch the next chapter: a Defence Housing Strategy which means the biggest renewal of military housing in over half a century. This will supercharge housebuilding on surplus Defence land – delivering new homes for veterans, military and civilian families. 40,000 military homes will be upgraded, including the 544 homes in the North West. A new Defence Housing Service will manage those homes with a ‘forces first’ approach and we will unlock the building of over 100,000 homes on Defence land – helping deliver the homes Britain needs.
The Conservative scandal of unfit forces housing will not be fixed overnight, but with a record £9 billion investment over the next decade – benefitting service families across the North West, we are already getting on with that work at pace.
Works are already underway across the country today on the 1,000 homes most in need of repair and we have already launched a Consumer Charter for forces families to drive up standards. With this Strategy, that work will now accelerate.
All of this is happening because our Labour Government is delivering for defence and for our Armed Forces. We are increasing defence spending and using that money to back the brave service men and women who keep our nation safe. Currently, Stockport is home to over 8,000 people who have served in the armed forces; I am proud that Labour is on the side of our Forces – and their families.
It is always a privilege to meet with Stockport Armed Forces Community Organisation (SAFCO) and I value our discussions on what more can be done to support the 8,000 veterans across our borough. I want to thank SAFCO for their continued hard work and dedication.