The men and women from Portsmouth who serve in our military represent the best of Britain. And the very least they deserve is a safe and decent home.
Too often over the past 14 years, forces families in Portsmouth were let down as the Tory government 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.
Today, we launch the next chapter: a Defence Housing Strategy which means the biggest renewal of military housing in over half a century. And sit will supercharge housebuilding on surplus Defence land – delivering new homes for veterans, military and civilian families.
40,000 military homes will be upgraded, including over 600 homes across Portsmouth. 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 Tory scandal of unfit forces housing won’t be fixed overnight, but with a record £9bn investment over the next decade – benefitting service families across Portsmouth, we are already getting on with that work at pace.
Works are already underway across the country today on the 1,000 homes in most in need of repair. We’ve already launched a Consumer Charter for forces families to drive up standards. And with today’s 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. Labour is on the side of our Forces – and their families.
