New Accommodation Offer 'paused' for review in view of concerns

The Telegraph is reporting tonight (Mon 26 Feb) that the Secretary of State has ordered a review of the New Accommodation Offer (NAO) in light of what they call a "backlash by military wives".

A "source close to Mr Shapps" said:

The Secretary of State is right to get to grips with this. He will pause the family accommodation part of the new policy while we consult and evaluate the policy and make sure it is fit for purpose.

Some concerns have been raised from senior officers, and we are confident that we can make changes so that this is a policy which will work for everyone.

This sounds sensible, and along with the late intervention by senior officers, credit must be due to Imogen Howell's Petition, which is approaching 20,000 signatures tonight, and remains open for signature here:

According to the Telegraph story, other parts of the plan are being continued with.

The quoted MoD source also said:

We are committed to widening entitlement to those in established long-term relationships and parents with non-resident children.

But we have listened to feedback and are therefore pausing the rollout of the elements of the policy related to service families’ accommodation, including the move to needs-based allocation and, in the short term, the widening of entitlement.