Shadow armed forces minister demands better deal for troops and veterans in Wolverhampton

Recent statistics show 28 per cent of troops in the West Midlands live in lowest grade accommodation possible.

MoD data uncovered by Labour shows that 130 personnel in the West Midlands live in Grade 4 Single Living Accommodation, the lowest rating given by the Ministry of Defence.

Luke Pollard, Labour’s Shadow Armed Forces Minister, said: "The government is failing in its duty to our Armed Forces in the Midlands and across the country, who are forced to live in discomfort as properties fall into disrepair.

"The standard of accommodation has been consistently low and getting worse under this government yet nothing’s changed. These conditions wouldn’t be acceptable in civilian life, and they certainly aren’t acceptable for actively serving personnel.

"The government must deliver homes fit for those serving our country."

He added: "We also need better provision for veterans because it is a post code lottery at the moment when it comes to services and mental health provision."

Mr Pollard was taken around by Labour's candidate for Wolverhampton North East Sureena Brackenridge. The pair visited the Sikh war memorial in Wednesfield, a Royal British Legion meeting and Collins Aerospace.

She said: "We do a lot for veterans in Wolverhampton and work to ensure the council upholds military covenant. It is great Luke has taken time to stop off in Wolverhampton during his national tour, we have some examples of best practice when it comes to working with veterans."

The figures were obtained by Shadow Defence Minister, John Healey, who said Conservative Ministers were “failing in their duty to personnel, who are forced to live in discomfort as properties fall into disrepair.”

The Ministry of Defence awards grades to its Single Living Accommodation based on ‘deficiency points’ allocated across 14 categories. Points are apportioned for the condition of bedroom decoration, fixtures and fittings, adequacy of heating systems and the proximity of toilet and washing facilities, among other factors.

There is currently no minimum quality standard set for Single Living Accommodation and no minimum acceptable conditions that service personnel should expect. A 2021 National Audit Office report on Single Living Accommodation exposed ‘decades of underinvestment’ and ‘problems with heating and hot water.’

The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude survey reveals that 41% of tri-service personnel live in Single Living Accommodation during the working week.

The same survey shows 40% of tri-service personnel were dissatisfied with the overall standard of their accommodation. A majority of 52% said they were dissatisfied with the responses to maintenance request and repairs.