H o u s i n g
Lieutenant Commander Tracey Phipps, the MOD Project Manager for Substitute Accommodation explains the whys and wherefores of this little understood subject.
Substitute W
e are becoming increasingly reliant on Substitute Accommodation and
the rising costs involved means Defence Estates (Operations) Housing (DE Ops H) face many issues in managing it.
First things first Where there is insufficient Service (single or family) accommodation available to meet demand, DE Ops H will provide alternative accommodation from the private sector, this is called Substitute Accommodation. We do this by tasking the MoD contractor to search for accommodation from the private sector. The abbreviation SSFA is Substitute Service Family Accommodation and SSSA is Substitute Single Living Accommodation.
Who is entitled to Substitute Accommodation?
Anyone who is entitled to Service accommodation, single or family, is also entitled to Substitute Accommodation. However, we only resort to Substitute Accommodation when there is no appropriate Service Accommodation available.
How much Substitute Accommodation have we got? Across the Services, the total number of Substitute Accommodation properties as of 30 June 09 was 6,503, made up of 1,505 SSFA and 6,237 occupants living in SSSA (some single personnel share accommodation).
Why have we got so much of it? Service personnel are by nature mobile, and Service requirements (including Unit locations) constantly change. We have a lot of Service Accommodation, but unfortunately not always of the right type in the right place; also, it sometimes needs to be ‘taken offline’ eg for maintenance or upgrade.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
Can we afford to keep relying on Substitute Accommodation? The short answer is ‘no’. The total bill for Substitute Accommodation is almost £100m per year; and for DE Ops H this means less money to spend on Service Family Accommodation (SFA). Unfortunately, dependence on Substitute Accommodation is increasing and the costs are rising. As a result, we are reviewing the way we manage Substitute Accommodation, with the aim of reducing reliance on it.
How will this impact on your entitlement?
The MoD is committed to providing Service Accommodation for Service personnel, so regardless of the challenges we face with Substitute Accommodation your entitlement is not going to change. So, if there is no Service Accommodation available, you will still be entitled to Substitute Accommodation.
The difference between Entitlement and Personal Choice
The underlying principle with Substitute Accommodation is that personnel should not be disadvantaged by a lack of availability of Service accommodation. DE Ops H tasks the Contractor to provide accommodation based on entitlement, so if a family is entitled to Type ‘C’ SFA, the contractor will look for an equivalent size and layout of property from the commercial market. For single personnel, senior officers are entitled to single accommodation, but all other personnel are expected to share and the contractor will source property accordingly.
Sometimes, however, people confuse entitlement with choice, and you should be aware of the difference. Although you may want to live in a particular location, maybe because of the schools, or live within walking distance of the town centre etc, these are personal choices, not entitlements. You would not get these choices in SFA. As the contractor is tasked to provide
best value for money properties, they will search for accommodation out to a certain distance (generally 10 miles for family accommodation) and will offer you a choice of two of the best value properties which meet your entitlement.
Personal choice is particularly difficult to manage, and it can seem that we are being unnecessarily restrictive. However, the sheer cost of private accommodation means that we must only offer properties to entitlement, otherwise everyone would want Substitute Accommodation! If personnel do state personal choices which result in their Substitute Accommodation being more costly than it needs to be, they may be asked to pay a monthly ‘personal contribution’ over above the normal accommodation charge.
Note: Don’t worry too much about the term ‘best value for money’; although we need to keep costs down, we will not ask you to live in accommodation or areas we consider to be unsafe etc; and the contractor is well aware of the standards the MoD expects for it’s Service personnel.
I will now concentrate on the policy provision of SSFA
Tri Service Accommodation Regulations SSFA policy can be found in JSP 464, Part 1, Chapter 6. Although families can find the policy frustrating, they should note that DE Ops H does not actually make the rules.
The single Services agree policy through extensive consultation, so DE Ops H effectively provides accommodation under the direction of the appropriate Service, in this case the RAF. There is sometimes room for interpretation. We manage housing applications on a case-by-case basis, and if clarity on a particular issue is required, rest- assured that DE Ops H will seek advice and/or propose changes to the JSP.
Autumn 2009 17
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