New Accomodation Model

[walkingmadman]

I've just been made aware that there is a petition on the Parliament Petitions website requesting a review of the New Accomodation Model as the author of the petition states that the implementation of it will negatively impact retention for a number of service personnel.

Having looked over the new FAM due to start March 24 I can't see any real negatives. In fact personally I think the move to a needs based housing model rather than rank based model will if anything increase retention.

Am I missing something? Thoughts?

 

[4everAD]

Probably senior officers worried about living next to the peasants.

 

[Fu Fu Valve]

Probably senior officers worried about living next to the peasants.

Some of them would love it, they'll be loitering outside the house in uniform just be saluted by the oiks.....

There was an Officer at Lyneham who used to take a stroll outside the Junior Ranks Mess at lunchtime until the SWO was notified of his walking habits and told him to feck off back to his mess where he belonged.

Going needs based makes more sense than having separate patches for Officers & Other Ranks, it'll be nice to see if they follow through or revert to type and keep things how they've always been.

 

[Cornish_Pikey]

Marham's patch had mixed MQs. So did Valley. Dependent on the needs.

However, Lossie and Waddo had issues with their brand new builds as some belligerent officer measured it and according to "regulations" they were too small for the Officer types to accept as grade 1. All got downgraded and the ORs got some very nice housing.

Brize had issues as they would of had to build a large quota of affordable housing within their new build patch and give it over to the local authority to put people of non-independent means into. However, they tore the old houses down first, just after moving Lyneham folks across.

 

[Downsizer]

Wouldn't be an issue living next door to any rank for me. I never socialised with random patch neighbours anyway. But I think it's a step in the right direction.

 

[muttywhitedog]

Marham's patch had mixed MQs. So did Valley. Dependent on the needs.

However, Lossie and Waddo had issues with their brand new builds as some belligerent officer measured it and according to "regulations" they were too small for the Officer types to accept as grade 1. All got downgraded and the ORs got some very nice housing.

Brize had issues as they would of had to build a large quota of affordable housing within their new build patch and give it over to the local authority to put people of non-independent means into. However, they tore the old houses down first, just after moving Lyneham folks across.

Its a while since I moved from Marham, but my recollection is that a handful of the larger quarters towards the airfield were allocated to non-commissioned with bigger families, but no commissioned officers lived on the main patch opposite the main gate.

 

[Tin basher]

Is this a part of the proposed new model?

Trans women born as men in armed forces living in female accommodation

Top brass are alleged to have dismissed concerns by insisting: 'It's not an issue as you can tell who are predators.' Pictured is a file photo of male troops at Alexander Barracks in Pirbright, Surrey.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Spearmint]

Is this a part of the proposed new model?

Trans women born as men in armed forces living in female accommodation

Top brass are alleged to have dismissed concerns by insisting: 'It's not an issue as you can tell who are predators.' Pictured is a file photo of male troops at Alexander Barracks in Pirbright, Surrey.

www.dailymail.co.uk

That should be an absolute concern, not doing so is pathetic and weak. Also, who in their right mind is going to apply different decisions on suitable accommodation based on thinking a particular trans individual is dodgier over another?

I recall during one of those E&D sessions, one of the ladies (a real one) telling us they have a trans individual in the same block (medication only uptill that point, who has not had it lopped off) openly admitting to 'cranking their hog' in the shower.

 

[Tin basher]

Probably senior officers worried about living next to the peasants.

Seems you may be correct at least according to the BBC.

Military personnel 'to quit' over housing rules

The Ministry of Defence wants to change housing rules to focus on needs rather than rank.

www.bbc.co.uk

"An army captain said: "I could conceive of no single policy better placed to drive quality officers out of the service and tear the heart out of the organisation"....He added that he was planning to resign within the next two years, saying: "Anecdotally, most of my peers are also now planning to leave on varying but similar timetables".

 

[kawoloki]

I know it's been 10 yrs since I left but I don't think there would be great animosity for officers having the slightly bigger houses they occupy now if the OR's accommodation was of good standard and mould free....

 

[SausageFingers]

"One officer said: "I have a boy and girl just over the age of 18. Knowing I'd be allocated a three-bedroom house meant we could still get a family home. This policy changes it.""

No it doesn't, if your kids are in education then they are entitled to remain named on the application until they are 25 - by which point you'd hope they'd have their own home.

 

[Cornish_Pikey]

So equal treatment across the board with officers only being entitled to a house that fits the size of the a family rather than according to the rank held. Seems sensible to me.

I was denied a house at Valley as there were only "SNCO and officers" quarters sitting empty but I couldn't have one. I was provided three choices of excess rent on Anglesey and only one was suitable (location to school etc) to actually live in, however, that was expensive for both me and the RAF.

Subsequently got promoted in post to Sgt and then forced out the locally rented house (owner wanted to sell it) and moved back into the patch into a house that had sat empty the whole time I needed a quarter. Rule is rules though.

 

[Oldstacker]

Seems you may be correct at least according to the BBC.

Military personnel 'to quit' over housing rules

The Ministry of Defence wants to change housing rules to focus on needs rather than rank.

www.bbc.co.uk

"An army captain said: "I could conceive of no single policy better placed to drive quality officers out of the service and tear the heart out of the organisation"....He added that he was planning to resign within the next two years, saying: "Anecdotally, most of my peers are also now planning to leave on varying but similar timetables".

A Captain (army) is hardly a senior officer though. Part of the issue I think is that for the RAF inter-rank relationships are generally less remote than they are in the army where enforced separation may be more desirable.
Another factor is that the issue isn't just the number of rooms but also the size of the rooms. I have seen one report that said an OR's 3 bed MQ is 20% smaller than an officer's. So an officer getting posted could find themselves in a significantly smaller house while still getting the same number of rooms. In other words, they are seeing a reduction in their overall reward package - great for retention of key branches?

 

[Talk Wrench]

Seems you may be correct at least according to the BBC.

Military personnel 'to quit' over housing rules

The Ministry of Defence wants to change housing rules to focus on needs rather than rank.

www.bbc.co.uk

"An army captain said: "I could conceive of no single policy better placed to drive quality officers out of the service and tear the heart out of the organisation"....He added that he was planning to resign within the next two years, saying: "Anecdotally, most of my peers are also now planning to leave on varying but similar timetables".

Slightly off topic but still on topic regarding Commissioned and Non commissioned allocations of housing,

I knew a Rigger who got his commission and at the time, he was married to an SAC(W)

They were co-located and HE took the option to move to the Zob's patch. She naturally moved in as well. Although she was "ordered" not to use the front door when in uniform and was told not to accept any invites into the houses of neighbours, nor was she to be seen or discovered attending any functions (parties, barbecues etc) at the threat of being charged.

The marriage broke down.

 

[Oldstacker]

Slightly off topic but still on topic regarding Commissioned and Non commissioned allocations of housing,

I knew a Rigger who got his commission and at the time, he was married to an SAC(W)

They were co-located and HE took the option to move to the Zob's patch. She naturally moved in as well. Although she was "ordered" not to use the front door when in uniform and was told not to accept any invites into the houses of neighbours, nor was she to be seen or discovered attending any functions (parties, barbecues etc) at the threat of being charged.

The marriage broke down.

That all seems somewhat dubious in terms of what 'rules' were being applied? It would, I think, have been even worse for patch discipline for them to have remained in an airman's MQ.

 

[Talk Wrench]

That all seems somewhat dubious in terms of what 'rules' were being applied? It would, I think, have been even worse for patch discipline for them to have remained in an airman's MQ.

It was a time where having a member of the opposite sex in block room was forbidden. I was the escort on a charge when one of my fellow colleagues was caught "entertaining" during a block raid.

So, not really that dubious.

 

[Oldstacker]

Ah.. I remember those days when times were different and, dare I say it, there were fewer (or was there, I don't know) instances of inappropriate behaviour because people were more segregated.

 

[Hot Shoes]

"An army captain said: "I could conceive of no single policy better placed to drive quality officers out of the service and tear the heart out of the organisation"....He added that he was planning to resign within the next two years, saying: "Anecdotally, most of my peers are also now planning to leave on varying but similar timetables"

As mentioned above ref "senior officer" but also if they are planning on "resigning" in two years its hardly a major issue, they could go now if really unhappy, more likely the end of their short term commision and been told to speak out

 

[fourteen2two]

If they don't like it, they could buy or rent off the patch!

 

[Barch]

Do they still have the stupid rule that AMQs for other ranks cannot have carpets that touch the skirting boards?

I remember going into friends' quarters where there was a 6-inch gap between the edge of the carpet and the skirting board.