A READING MP has announced that those in Reading are among those set to receive a support boost aimed at the families of members of the armed forces.
Olivia Bailey, Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, has welcomed a slew of support for military families as part of a government plan worth £9bn.
Armed forces families in 156 military homes across Reading West and Mid Berkshire will see a boost from the new plan intended to tackle poor-quality military housing.
The Defence Housing Strategy will see £9bn invested in the next ten years to upgrading and modernising nine in ten homes of forces families, as well as a dedicated Defence Housing Service.
It follows a deal by the government to bring 36,000 such homes back into public ownership which took place earlier this year–more than 12,000 of which were located in the South East.
The government says that the buy-back means that more than £200 million in rent payments have been saved annually, which will be reinvested in fixing forces homes.
Part of the plan includes giving purchase priority on new homes for veterans and serving personnel, as well as a rental support scheme which will help those eligible to rent privately while new homes are still being built.
The plan has been funded through raised defence spending, which is currently aimed at reaching 2.6% of GDP by 2027.
Ms Bailey said of the announcement: “I am proud to represent so many brave men and women serving our country, and am delighted that this Labour government is ensuring that our forces families here in Reading West and Mid Berkshire have good homes to live in.
“Today’s announcement of record investment, a ‘Forces First’ approach and a new Defence Housing Service will deliver homes fit for our local heroes–when we talk about national renewal, this is what we mean.”
Labour’s Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:“Our British forces personnel and our veterans fulfil the ultimate public service. Our nation is rightly proud of them–and the very least they deserve is a decent home.
“This new Strategy will embed a ‘Forces First’ approach that tells our forces, our veterans and their families: we are on your side.
“We can’t fix forces housing overnight, but this effort is already underway and will now accelerate.
“By creating a specialist Defence Housing Service, backed by record investment in military accommodation, we will deliver better value for the taxpayer and fulfil our promise to provide homes fit for heroes.”
