Mixed reception for British Army plan to move away from rank-based accommodation
The British Army is set to move away from rank-based accommodation, a decision that has been met with mixed reviews.
The Defence Command Paper Refresh, published on Tuesday, said the Ministry of Defence (MOD) would stop allocating family accommodation based on rank, and instead move to a system that is needs-based.
The MOD said, in practice, the factors would be based on the "number of dependents, access needs or a need arising from the job the service person is in".
"We anticipate that a person of more junior rank could request to live in a larger house in comparison to a higher-ranking individual who has a lower need," the MOD said.
"We recognise the invaluable contribution partners and families make to service life and the critical supporting role they play in sustaining operational capability, while also recognising that our accommodation offer should reflect contemporary needs.
"We are due to report more fully on this in the autumn."
Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, said the change to the allocation of housing could be a "tipping point" for those seeking new careers.
"In theory, you see the logic but when you apply practice it becomes controversial. I can see this as being a tipping point for some military families that might take them out of the service," he said.
"There has always been married quarters and soldiers quarters.
"In a unit barracks, you have the Junior Ranks Club, the Sergeants' Mess and the Officers' Mess.
"They work together but socialise separately and it's the same for married accommodation.
"Officers should live amongst each other, and non-commissioned officers and soldiers should live together, to avoid the difficulties of your next-door neighbour being your boss or one of your subordinates."
Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Defence Select Committee, agreed with Lord Dannatt and said "there is a reason why officers' and soldiers' messes are distinct – to separate the social from the operational".
"The MOD relies on the housing offering to compensate for non-competitive salaries and this new policy could deter some from continuing to serve."
The Defence Command Paper Refresh outlined that £400m will be spent modernising accommodation that UK "service families deserve".
It comes after military families complained in January about the poor standard of housing military families were being forced to live in.
In February, the Shadow Defence Secretary commissioned a full-scale, independent review of military housing.
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