Hitchin MP welcomes £9 billion boost for military housing
It is set to transform 5,000 homes across the East of England
Last updated 11th Nov 2025
The MP for Hitchin has welcomed a £9 billion government investment to overhaul and expand military housing.
The new Defence Housing Strategy will see 40,000 armed forces homes — nine in ten of all service family properties — upgraded or modernised over the next decade.
More than 5,000 of those homes are in the East of England, including accommodation at Chicksands and RAF Henlow in Hitchin MP Alistair Strathern’s constituency.
The plan will also establish a new Defence Housing Service, designed to keep homes in public ownership and ensure a consistent standard of maintenance and support for serving personnel and their families.
It follows a landmark decision earlier this year to bring 36,000 military homes across the country, and 500 in Hitchin alone, back into public hands.
That buy-back is expected to save more than £200 million a year in rent payments, with funds redirected into repairs and upgrades.
The government says the new strategy will also prioritise veterans and serving personnel for future housing built on Ministry of Defence land.
The policy could cover up to 100,000 new homes nationwide, helping to address chronic housing shortages and tackle long-standing challenges faced by ex-service members trying to secure stable accommodation after leaving the forces.
Mr Strathern, who has campaigned since his election on the poor state of armed forces housing, described conditions at local bases as “shocking” and said the investment marked a long-awaited step towards “delivering homes fit for heroes.”
He has repeatedly raised the issue in Parliament, including in his first debate after being elected, pressing for improvements to military accommodation and stronger oversight of housing contracts previously managed by private firms.
Ahead of Armistice Day, Mr Strathern said the new housing programme demonstrated the government’s intention to deliver tangible support for those who serve.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the announcement reflected a broader commitment to improving conditions for serving personnel and veterans.
He said: "Our British forces and veterans fulfil the ultimate public service. The very least they deserve is a decent home. This strategy tells our Armed Forces community: we are on your side."
For Mr Strathern, the new plan represents both a national policy shift and a local victory. With upgrades planned for more than 5,000 homes across the region and significant reinvestment in the bases at Chicksands and Henlow, he said he was “really proud” to see long-standing calls for change being answered.