Chester North and Neston has a proud military history. Our community has long and deep connections to the Armed Forces, and I am honoured to represent a city where that service and sacrifice are part of our shared identity. 

That’s why this week’s announcement by the Labour Government is such a significant step forward. It sets out bold new plans to fix a scandal that has gone on for far too long – the state of military housing. 

For years, too many of our service families have been forced to live in cold, damp, and mould-ridden homes – a direct result of the failed Conservative privatisation deal in 1996 that sold off military housing and forced taxpayers to rent it back at enormous cost. That deal has cost the public £600,000 every single day – money that should have been used to repair and modernise homes for our forces families. Private investors cashed in while families lost out. 

In January, the Government took decisive action to reverse this mistake by bringing 36,000 military homes back into public ownership – including 200 right here in Chester North and Neston. This was a landmark decision that puts families and public service before private profit and enables real investment in the housing our armed forces deserve. This Labour Government is prepared to step in when our national interest is at stake – just as we’ve done with British Steel. 

Now, we’re going further. This week, the Defence Secretary John Healey MP and the Minister for Veterans and People Al Carns MP launched a new Consumer Charter for Forces Families. This will raise housing standards and ensure our service personnel and their families are treated with the respect and dignity they’ve earned. It will guarantee higher move-in standards, faster repairs, and named housing officers for every family – backed by a simpler complaints process and tougher accountability for landlords. 

These changes will be in place by the one-year anniversary of the buy-back and form part of a wider Defence Housing Strategy, to be published later this year. 

This is about delivering homes fit for heroes. It’s about recognising that the men and women who serve in our military, and the families who support them, deserve safe, warm, and decent places to live. 

Labour will renew the contract with those who serve and boost our national security as the foundation of our Plan for Change. We’re honouring the commitment our forces make to us – and here in Chester North and Neston, that change is already underway.