MoD chiefs punish firms involved in squalid homes scandal by withholding payments as thousands of soldiers and their families wait for repairs
- Hundreds of military families were left without heating or hot water
- Pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin stayed in mould-ridden barracks
Defence chiefs have withheld payments to military housing firms as thousands of troops and their families wait for repairs to squalid homes.
This follows The Mail on Sunday revealing how hundreds of families were left without heating or hot water as they waited for repairs in rundown military homes before Christmas.
The paper has since exposed mould-ridden barracks where Army pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin stayed before her funeral and how the Ministry of Defence spent £230 million on travel and five-star hotels for senior officials.
MoD Permanent Under-Secretary David Williams has said military home contractors Pinnacle, Amey and VIVO have been ‘placed in default’ while their ‘performance remains sub-par’.
Nearly 8,000 compensation payments totalling £500,000 have been paid by companies since new contracts began last April.
Army pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin stayed in mould-ridden barracks before her funeral
A video obtained by The Mail on Sunday shows a mould-ridden ceiling and dirty water streaming down walls and stairs at Wellington Barracks in London
Pinnacle apologised for ‘instances when service does not meet highest standards’ and said it was improving performance. Amey said it was ‘working hard to drive improvements’.
VIVO said performance had ‘significantly improved’ recently.
Source: Read Full Article
