Thousands of military homes brought back into public ownership in £6bn deal
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The Ministry of Defence has bought thousands of military homes in a near £6bn deal, taking back into public ownership 36,347 houses from the property firm Annington. This move is essentially reversing the privatisation process that happened in 1996. The buyback will end the annual £230m rental cost for these homes.
It will also strengthen the Government’s ability to build on the service family accommodation estate with more modern houses and undo “one of the worst Tory privatisations of the 1990s”, Defence Secretary John Healey. The MoD is poised to submit planning applications for 265 new homes at RAF Brize Norton, with another batch of about 300 homes scheduled at Catterick Garrison.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: "By reversing one of the worst Tory privatisations of the 1990s, we have opened up a once-in-a-generation chance to improve homes for our armed forces and their families, who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. "This deal is already saving the taxpayer £600,000 a day – and will put us back in the driving seat as we renew and rebuild family accommodation. Our forthcoming military housing strategy will draw on leading independent experts to capitalise on these savings.
"This Government is unrelenting in our commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve.". The Government has announced that it has started work on a new military housing strategy, set to be published later this year. The strategy aims to offer new opportunities for forces homeownership and optimise the use of MoD land to provide affordable homes for families across Britain.
