Service Family Accommodation and Winter Planning

Monday 13th November 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Defence Procurement (James Cartlidge)]

Last December, my predecessor responded to an urgent question in the House about the poor state of service family accommodation and the performance of Ministry of Defence accommodation maintenance contractors, particularly over the winter period^[1]. Lessons were learned and action is being taken. The purpose of this statement is to set out the steps that the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and its contractors have taken and continue to take, to ensure that they are prepared for winter this year.

Improving the level of service for families living in service family accommodation continues to be a priority for me and fellow Ministers in the Department. We will continue to improve our service accommodation across the UK by offering modem, energy efficient homes which are good for the environment and cost-effective for service families.

As winter approaches, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s Director of Accommodation has written to all service families living in service family accommodation to inform them of the provisions being put in place to ensure that the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and its contractors are fully prepared, and able to provide the right level of service for families over the colder months, recognising the challenges faced last winter.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has received an investment of £400 million over this financial year and next as part of the recently announced Defence Command Paper 2023. This means that funding in the current financial year for maintenance and improvements will have more than doubled from around £160 million to around £380 million. This investment will be spent on improving the preparation of homes for service families to move into; treating and preventing damp and mould and improving the thermal efficiency of homes; and refurbishing empty homes for reoccupation by service families in areas where demand is highest.

Specifically, this financial year the Defence Infrastructure Organisation will:

Increase funding for the routine preparation of homes ready for move in, ensuring they are prepared to a high standard.

Fund damp and mould mitigation packages for around 4,000 families who currently have a damp and mould report raised, representing around 60% of all properties requiring such work. These standardised packages will include increasing insulation, replacing guttering, upgrading extractor fans, and resealing windows and doors.

Fund further and more substantial damp and mould prevention works, encompassing everything from replacement doors and windows to full thermal upgrades which include new doors, windows, roofs and the installation of external wall insulation. Thermal upgrades will not only reduce the vulnerability of homes to damp and mould but will also reduce the cost of heating homes for service families and reduce the carbon footprint of the estate.

Fund extensive, high-quality refurbishments of around 1,000 long-term empty service family accommodation to make them available.

Fund the replacement of kitchens and bathrooms, which will benefit more than 1,000 homes.

Fund boiler and heating upgrades for around 1,500 homes.

In the last 12 months, 423 modern homes have been purchased for service families across the UK in a £173 million deal, as part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s Capital Purchase Programme. The Capital Purchase Programme works in partnership with major developers to identify where there is a need for family accommodation and determine the best way of delivering high-quality, energy efficient homes. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has agreed to purchase a further 176 new homes over the next three years in a £78 million deal.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has published communications on both www.gov.uk and Defence Connect on the damp and mould programme of works being undertaken across the service family accommodation estate. This includes information and frequently asked questions on what families can expect from the works. Pinnacle, the National Accommodation Management contractor, has also published a guide for families on condensation, damp and mould prevention.

In preparation for winter, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has been working collaboratively with its contractors to establish robust contingency plans to not only cope with severe weather events, but to ensure services can recover quickly to minimise any disruption to families. This includes:

Having the right resources in the right place and at the right times as winter progresses.

Increasing call handling capacity by 55%, with calls on average being answered within 29 seconds as opposed to around seven minutes last year.

AMEY has increased its resource by 40% since last winter.

VIVO has recruited additional out-of-hours staff to ensure urgent repairs are effectively managed over weekends and bank holidays.

VIVO has created a Customer Experience team to manage contact with families, and ensure communications are in place for follow-on works.

Better availability of parts, including temporary heaters which are distributed across the UK as needed.

Using remote technology to help to guide families to resolve simple issues without the need for an engineer callout.

Establishing indicators and warnings to enable the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to remain agile in where resource is allocated as the colder months progress.

Continuously reviewing and testing suppliers to ensure that planning, resource and stock holding is at the right levels.

A collaborative DIO, Pinnacle, Amey and VIVO Rehearsal of Concept drill to test winter preparedness plans against extreme weather scenarios took place on 17 October 2023. All three contractors tested their plans to ensure their resource and stock management could respond appropriately to a surge in repair requests—par exemple, from storm damage or frozen pipes—and to the impact of weather on the ability to respond to callouts—par exemple, in severe snow and ice.

Winter preparedness plans were tested during Storm Babet which impacted parts the UK, predominantly Scotland, on 19 and 20 October and was the first severe storm of the season. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation and all three contractors worked collaboratively to monitor the storm, anticipate the storm’s impact, and successfully apply severe weather protocols. Additional resource was engaged to manage the predicted uplift in calls, which saw a 33% increase on 20 October, and ensure all were answered promptly—within an average of 58 seconds. Clear communications were issued to manage expectations of service families with pre-arranged maintenance appointments, and 14 families whose homes were damaged due to flooding, were moved to pre-booked, temporary hotel accommodation to allow assessment of the damage.

In addition, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Pinnacle, Amey and VIVO have collectively produced a proactive winter communications plan. A winter safety leaflet has been developed which is held on Pinnacle’s website and is being distributed when contractors attend appointments at families’ homes. Winter safety messaging is also being included on social media to ensure families are aware of the steps they can take to keep their homes safe this winter.

^[1] Service Family Accommodation—Commons Urgent Question in the House of Lords, 21 December 2022; Vol. 826, col. 1187.

[HCWS28]