FEDERATION NEWS
The Future Accommodation Project ~ and our Survey on the Subject
Many readers will be aware that we have been running a survey on Future Accommodation to inform work on the Future Accommodation Project being conducted by the MoD. Here we give a snapshot of the responses.
W
e actually started this work last year, aware that the New Employment Model
initiative would lead to studies into the future provision of accommodation, and we fed initial findings into the policy staffs at the beginning of 2011. The Future Accommodation Project Team, headed by Brigadier Richard Cary, was then set up and we engaged very early on, keen to influence this work and help where we could.
Our questions were shared with the project team and they offered further questions they thought would help shape their work. Having refined the survey, we then offered the questions to our sister Families Federations so they too could run the same survey with their respective families, thereby building up a tri-Service body of evidence from the families’ viewpoint.
We ran the survey in live workshops from 1 June 11 until the end of August and also ran a version online. By the end of the survey period, we hope to have gathered well in excess of 1,000 completed responses. This is a tremendous response and we would like to thank each and every one of you who took the time to participate. Not only did you tick the boxes, but many of you took the time to write copious comments on the subject, often expressing very strong views on the MoD’s provision of accommodation and where you felt the priorities should be for future provision.
We are in the process of analysing all the responses in order to provide a thoroughly comprehensive report to the Future Accommodation Project Team by the end of September. Once this is completed, we will share the full results with you via our website at
www.raf-ff.org.uk Results will also be reflected in our annual Evidence Report which we produce at the end of our survey season. In the meantime, here are some of the questions we asked and some of the great quotes lifted from responses received. Perhaps you recognise your words!
16 Envoy Autumn 2011 How important is home ownership to you?
If you already own your own home, what was the MAIN reason you bought it?
If you don’t own your own home, state the MAIN reason why not.
What do you like MOST about living in SFA/ SSFA or SLA/SSSA?
What do you like LEAST about living in SFA/ SSFA or SLA/SSSA?
If the MoD were to limit provision of accommodation (both SFA and SLA), what provision should be made?
If the provision of SFA were to reduce significantly in ten years time, along with the associated community support facilities, how would you describe the impact?
If the MoD provided funding to support home ownership, cuts may have to be made in other areas. What would you LEAST like to see affected by any cuts?
Do you feel that marital status should continue to be a deciding factor in future accommodation allocation policies?
And some of the comments received:
“Please don’t take SFA away from us. I rely on the friendship and understanding of my neighbours.”
“Weekly commuting is no way to run a family.”
“Don’t be so ridiculous; if you limit SFA this would have a huge impact on families and recruitment.”
“Families feel secure in SFA.”
“Personally, I am absolutely disgusted that I find myself needing to fill out this sort of survey.”
“We would rather lose our ‘home to duty’ than our home!”
“I believe SFA and SLA are core elements of Service life and any initiative to restrict them should be challenged robustly.”
If you didn’t find time or hadn’t heard of the accommodation survey, we still have five other fascinating surveys running online until the end of October, all informing debates within the RAF and MoD. If you’d like to give your views on: The Impact of the SDSR, The RAF Way Of Life, Definition of ‘Family’, Employment and Training Opportunities for Family Members and the subject of Childcare, your views would be welcome. All are available via our website at
www.raf-ff.org. uk There are no passwords so the surveys are very easy to access. Complete as many or as few as you wish – we look forward to receiving your responses.
There are also two other surveys, one for RAF Reservists and their family members and one for the younger members of the RAF family (from the age of 10) but these two ARE password protected as we are looking for a more targeted response in these areas. If you would like to participate in either of the latter then do ring the Federation on 01780 781650 or email
enquiries@raf-ff.org.uk and we will supply a password.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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