SAC0026
Written evidence submitted by Pickard
Having lived in SLA on RAF Odiham for the past 7 years, I have experienced two different types of blocks. In that time and at these locations I have experienced and witnessed the following issues:
- Accommodation hot water will fail at least three times on average through the winter months (and sometimes during summer) resulting in only cold water being available for sometimes three to four days at a time. This creates a huge inconvenience for personnel living in SLA who require its washing facilities. It also results in cold rooms during wintertime this drives down morale.
- The majority of RAF Odiham SLA date back to the 1960s with limited upgrades having been done to them. This includes the décor, fixtures, and furniture. This gives it an extremely dated and beaten-up appearance which does nothing for personnels morale. Broken ceiling panels, outdated bathrooms and washing facilities, furniture and fittings that are over forty years old does not represent a modern fighting force.
- Some rooms assigned to service personnel are no bigger than a small storeroom. Adding to this again the dated and run down appearance of the SLA, means again personnel are faced with a less than desirable living situation. Faced with the prospect of at least 3 years in this kind of SLA, this has undoubtable caused a few to question their career choice, especially when they are coming from homes and universities with better living conditions.
20 October 2023