Michael Fallon pledges 'MORE homes for heroes' by extending Help to Buy scheme for troops
THE Defence Secretary has pledged “more homes for heroes” by extending a scheme which allows troops and military workers to get on the property ladder.
The Help to Buy scheme will help thousands of British military personnel buy homes
Sir Michael Fallon said the Help to Buy scheme for service personnel will run until 2018, with thousands of applications approved since a three-year pilot project started in 2014.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) says more than £127 million has been paid to around 8,300 military personnel so far, adding the total of approved applications stands at 10,584.
Cabinet minister Sir Michael also claimed the armed forces can be a “remarkable engine of social mobility” as he reiterated his desire for 50,000 military apprenticeships from 2015 to 2020, and 150 new cadet units in state schools.
He pointed to Rockwood Academy in Birmingham - formerly known as Park View - as being among the first 25 schools to have new cadet forces, noting it was at the centre of anonymous allegations which claimed there was a plot by Muslim hard-liners to take control of several of the city's schools.
Fallon's speech was a smokescreen, designed to deflect from the Tories legacy of failure
During his speech to the Tory party conference in Birmingham, Sir Michael said: “Last year I told you I wanted our forces' Help to Buy scheme to help 10,000 personnel and we're meeting that target.
“But I want more of our servicemen and women to have the chance to buy their own homes so I am extending the scheme through until 2018 - more homes for heroes.
“And we aren't just helping servicemen and women get on the housing ladder, we are selling Ministry of Defence land we don't need to build the homes we do.“
Sir Michael Fallon reassured at the Tory party conference that he wanted to continue with the scheme
Earlier, Sir Michael said of the cadet scheme and Rockwood Academy: “This used to be a 'Trojan Horse' school.
“It has been turned around completely and instead of promoting religious segregation, today, as a new academy, it is instilling British values with a school cadet unit that will parade this afternoon, serving the Queen and country.“
Sir Michael also said he will officially mark the start of construction work on the Successor submarines that carry the controversial Trident missiles on Wednesday.
Renewal of the continuous-at-sea deterrent is predicted to cost £31 billion, with a £10 billion contingency fund also set aside.
The scheme is also selling MoD land that is not being utilised, for the purpose of building homes
Sir Michael told delegates: “Tomorrow I will go from here to Barrow to cut steel on the first new Successor Trident submarine - a billion pound investment programme that will benefit businesses from Barrow to Berkshire, from the north of Scotland to Tyneside.
“And what a contrast with the Labour Party - while we're getting on with the Successor programme, they can't even agree on a successor to Jeremy Corbyn.“
Trident provided one of the main bust-ups at last week's Labour conference, when shadow defence secretary Clive Lewis's speech was rewritten to remove a statement that Labour would not ditch its policy of supporting renewal.
Aides later confirmed that Mr Corbyn remains personally committed to unilateral disarmament.
Michael Fallon - The Facts
Sir Fallon's speech also marked the continuation of the nuclear deterrent Trident programme
For Labour, Mr Lewis said: “Michael Fallon's speech was a smokescreen, designed to deflect from the Tories legacy of failure on defence.
“The reality is their devastating cuts since 2010 have weakened and demoralised our armed forces, leaving them poorly-equipped, over-stretched, under-paid and too often living in squalid conditions.
“The Tory obsession with cost-cutting means they are not even using British steel to build our ships and vehicles."