Highland MP wins military accommodation fight
The partners of military personnel no longer need to be married to live in service accommodation after Highland MP Drew Hendry took up their plight with the Ministry of Defence.
That led to the UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson has announcing the change which means that service personnel in a long-term relationship are now eligible to apply for surplus housing.
Previously, military accommodation was only available to families of serving soldiers who were married.
But that was before the MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey highlighted the negative impact of the policy on some of his constituents – like those serving with 3 Scots the Black Watch.
Welcoming the successful result of his campaign, Mr Hendry said the move was “fantastic news” for his military constituents.
“I am so pleased we have managed to get this long-standing policy changed – it really is overdue,” he said.
“Since first taking up this campaign, I have been made aware of several military families struggling to afford private rental accommodation because of this outdated rule. It is especially hard for families when they know there is surplus military accommodation sitting empty.”
He said that already the development is having a positive impact with at least one local family now able to live together.
“I was first made aware of this outdated policy when one of my constituents reached out to me for help after his partner and he were denied military housing because they were unmarried. I then wrote to the secretary of state for defence to urge him to rethink this policy and I am delighted that he has heeded these calls.
“Thanks to this policy change, my constituent is now moving into his new armed forces home with his family. This is particularly good news, as he and his partner have just had a baby.
“I am honoured to serve as the MP to a constituency with a proud military tradition. We must always do what we can to improve the lives of army personnel and their families – after all we really do own them so much.”
Last month through the intervention of Mr Hendry, Denis Omondi was reunited with his daughter after she had been denied a visa because the serving soldier was told he did not spend enough time with her.
