More than 2,000 military personnel are set to take legal action against the Ministry of Defence for discrimination over housing costs, lawyers have said.
The action relates to alleged discrimination against younger and unmarried personnel over housing costs in claims that could be worth a total of £30 million, it is estimated.
The Leigh Day legal firm also believes that as many as 80,000 serving members of the military could be eligible to join the compensation claim after allegedly being unfairly overcharged by the MoD for housing in the last six months because of their age and potentially their marital status.
Whilst the Ministry of Defence has made some changes to reduce the unfairness in its housing policies, the current system still discriminates against people who are unmarried or under a certain age
Ryan Bradshaw, Leigh Day solicitor
The claim relates to the MoD’s housing policy, which requires all British Army personnel who are under 37, and those who are over 37 and unmarried, to pay for what is known as single living accommodation, according to the legal firm.
The lawyers say that in contrast, Army personnel over the age of 37 and married are eligible for a valuable accommodation allowance.
In the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, age is not taken into account but only those who are married or in a civil partnership qualify for the accommodation allowance.
Leigh Day solicitor Ryan Bradshaw said: “More than 2,000 younger or unmarried members of the armed forces have now joined our claim after paying more for their accommodation than those who are older or married.
Younger and unmarried military personnel may wish to join this claim to seek compensation for paying too much rent and to encourage the MoD to change this unfair policy
Ryan Bradshaw, Leigh Day solicitor
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“Whilst the Ministry of Defence has made some changes to reduce the unfairness in its housing policies, the current system still discriminates against people who are unmarried or under a certain age.
“Younger and unmarried military personnel may wish to join this claim to seek compensation for paying too much rent and to encourage the MoD to change this unfair policy.”
The lawyers add that the amount of compensation would depend on how long individuals have spent in single living accommodation and how much they paid for it.
If the legal case is successful, most claims are expected to achieve compensation of at least £15,000, they add.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “Whilst we are unable to comment on individual letters of complaint, the Defence Secretary has made the provision of higher quality accommodation for service personnel a personal priority, reflecting the selfless commitment our armed forces make to the nation.
“That’s why our modern accommodation offer gives more flexibility to personnel, backed by an extra £200 million investment.
“This is on top of over £4 billion to upgrade accommodation and build new living quarters for our service personnel over the next decade.
“Our service personnel also receive subsidised accommodation as part of their package and we remain committed to improving the support we provide.”
Other measures include recent announcements regarding single living accommodation improvements, helping military personnel get on the housing ladder by refunding up to £1,500 of legal expenses.
