• Forces families living in military housing in Yorkshire and the Humber, set to enjoy greater freedoms to make their house feel more like home.
• Labour’s new Consumer Charter will cut the red tape and make it easier for families to own pets, decorate properties and run businesses from their homes.
• I welcome these new measures for forces families, which follow the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) commitment of more than £1.5 billion extra for forces family housing, delivering on Labour’s Plan for Change.
Thousands of Armed Forces families 3360 in military housing across Yorkshire and the Humber will benefit from new freedoms to keep pets and personalise their homes as part of Labour’s commitment to improve forces housing.
The measures announced this week include greater freedoms to own pets, decorate, and personalise houses, and run businesses from home. The latest improvements to military family housing, some already in effect from 9 August, mark a key milestone in delivering on Labour’s new Consumer Charter to begin to turn around 14 years of neglect of military accommodation under the last government.
Defence Secretary John Healey has pledged to put forces families at the heart of defence housing reform, vowing to “stop the rot” and raise standards across service accommodation nationwide. Military morale reached record lows under the last Conservative government.
The Government’s Consumer Charter is part of the forthcoming Defence Housing Strategy, which will set out plans for a generational renewal of forces housing, helping renew the nation’s contract with those who serve and supporting the Government’s Plan for Change.
Emma Hardy MP said “I’m absolutely delighted that families in military housing will now be allowed to have pets in their homes. Pets are such an important part of family life, offering comfort, companionship, and joy.
“From my work with children whose parents serve in the armed forces, I know how unsettling life can sometimes be, and having a pet can make a world of difference in helping military families feel more at home.”
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said: “Our Armed Forces make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe every day. But for too long, military families have lived in substandard housing without basic consumer rights.
“These new measures are another step as we deliver on our Consumer Charter to stop the rot in military accommodation and ensure our heroes and their loved ones live in houses, they can truly call home.
“By introducing greater freedoms, including pet ownership, we are ensuring forces families up and down the UK can live and work in homes fit for modern life.”
Until now, military families faced a lengthy approval process to own pets. From this week, they can keep up to two dogs, cats or smaller pets without needing permission, recognising the vital role pets play in family life and mental wellbeing.
The comfort and companionship that pets provide is especially important for military families, whose partner or parent may be away for many months at a time on deployment.
Another measure, that comes into effect this week involves streamlining processes for service family members running a business from their home, ensuring a standardised approach across the UK. Those already running a business will also benefit from a named housing officer, who can offer advice and support on processes, delivering on another promise set out in the Consumer Charter.
Improvements to housing are underpinned by an investment of more than £7 billion this Parliament in military accommodation, which includes an extra £1.5 billion through the SDR to support urgent repairs and the long-term renewal of military family homes across the UK. This record investment follows the Government’s landmark deal to bring back 36,000 military homes into public ownership, as part of the Prime Minister’s pledge to deliver home fit for heroes.