Recommendation 4

Accommodation at RAF Marham is substandard, exacerbating issues with recruitment and retention. Despite the urgent need to address this, upgrades will not be completed under current plans until 2034. RAF Marham has been the main F-35 operating base since 2013, with at least 1,500 people working there on the F-35, many of whom also live in accommodation at the base. The Department accepts that accommodation at RAF Marham is not good enough and that these failings create a risk that people leave the service earlier than they otherwise would. The Department 3 has committed to removing all the worst grades of accommodation, which includes most of the accommodation at RAF Marham, from its sites. But it does not expect to complete this work at RAF Marham until 2034, albeit with some personnel expected to move into the first new block by the end of 2025. The Department claims that earlier investment was not possible because of the need for savings, and that upgrading accommodation at RAF Lossiemouth has been the higher priority. The 2034 date for relatively simple service accommodation construction is very complacent and should be given greater priority. recommendation The Department should urgently look to prioritise investment to bring forward completion of improvements to RAF Marham accommodation on a much earlier timescale than 2034. It should write to the Committee within 6 months as to how it intends to do this.