Around 4,000 members of the armed forces are expected to receive around £1,000 in compensation after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) settled a legal claim over a discriminatory housing policy that meant rent allowances were denied to younger and unmarried personnel.
Under the MoD’s previous housing policy, many younger and unmarried personnel were denied assistance with the rental costs of their single living accommodation.
In the Army, only personnel who were both married and over the age of 37 qualified for an accommodation allowance to reduce their rent.
The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy only allowed those who were married or in a civil partnership to receive the allowance, but did not take age into account.
In February 2021, a report by the National Audit Office concluded that the policy could be considered discriminatory due to younger and unmarried personnel having to pay more for their accommodation.
The MoD has since reviewed and amended the policy after the claims were brought. As a result of the policy amendment and proposed settlement, it is believed that this historical issue is now resolved.
The amount of compensation paid to serving and former members of the military who joined the legal claim, led by law firm Leigh Day, will depend on how long they spent in single living accommodation and how much they paid for it.
Most claimants are expected to be offered compensation of around £1,000, with some receiving more depending on their personal circumstances.
Leigh Day partner Ryan Bradshaw, who led the legal claim, said: “We are delighted to have obtained this settlement offer from MoD for our clients. Alongside the changes which have now been made to its housing allowances policy, we are satisfied that the MoD has taken the steps needed to resolve this dispute in a sensible manner.
“We look forward to delivering the compensation to our clients and encourage them to keep an eye on their emails in the coming days.”
