Recommendation 24

Initiatives that have helped improve retention include a new housing strategy, wraparound childcare and improved pay, and the Department particularly flagged the importance of housing.46 Day-to-day maintenance and servicing of the estate has begun to improve, albeit from a very poor starting point, with satisfaction with repairs increasing from 23% in January 2023 to 66% by the end of 2025. That services families are beginning to feel the benefits of this is suggested by responses to questionnaires, which are now showing approval rates of 51%, its highest level since 2021.47 The Department said that it had done a huge amount of consultation in the Armed Forces to ensure that the basic design of a modern family home is right. It is also looking to expand the rights to family accommodation to a wider range of family structures, including same-sex partnerships and marriages.48