Review the proposed New Accommodation Offer which is due for implementation in March 2024. Undertake further engagement with affected personnel to shape the policy before its execution.
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At present, the New Accommodation Offer has been poorly received by a number of service personnel who will be affected. If the policy is implemented as it currently stands, we believe that armed forces retention rates are likely to fall to even lower levels than those at present. This could have an irreversible effect on the capability of the armed forces over both the immediate and intermediate term.
Wednesday 6th March 2024
The Government is committed to widening military accommodation entitlement, but we have listened to feedback and paused elements of the policy related to Service Family Accommodation pending a review.
Our Armed Forces personnel make extraordinary sacrifices to protect our nation. Defence’s Modernised Accommodation Offer (MAO) puts fairness first and will inject £200m of further investment for accommodation.
The offer has been developed over several years, was heralded in the 2022 Defence Accommodation Strategy and announced in September 2023. It was designed collaboratively with the Single Services and developed to take account of lessons from the Future Accommodation Model pilot which operated from 2019-2023 at Aldershot Garrison, HMNB Clyde and RAF Wittering, as well as research undertaken with Service personnel and families.
The Government will move forward with elements of the MAO in relation to Single Living Accommodation (SLA). This includes improvements to the standard of SLA; supporting more personnel with their weeknight accommodation costs when they maintain a main home away from their place of work, irrespective of age, service or marital status; and providing further support for Service personnel becoming first time buyers by refunding up to £1,500 of their legal expenses.
Given recent feedback on the policy related to Service Family Accommodation, the Government has paused rollout of these aspects to enable a review to take place. Timelines for this review have not yet been set, but it is being treated as a priority.
The Government remains committed to widening entitlement to those in established long term relationships and parents with non-resident children.
A new launch date for the Offer will be confirmed in due course.
Ministry of Defence