Homes for MOD staff

The Sunday Times is reporting that the Ministry of Defence are spending £2.3 billion on a contract to refurbish and run their headquarters in Whitehall. You can read the full story here.

The Conservatives are requesting an investigation by the National Audit Office in the scheme.

Expenditure on the new home for ministers and civil servants will include:

• Luxury office chairs worth more than £1,000 for each of the 3,100 civil servants


• 
  The purchase of more than 3,500 oak doors for a total cost of £3m, or up to £1,200 each
  


• The restoration of a “terrazzo” marble and stone floor in the renovated “pillared hall”
  


• A restaurant, a coffee bar, three large plasma screens on each of the 10 floors, a gym and “quiet rooms” where staff can take a break.

The MoD expects to spend £75,000 per person working in the building on refurbishment and upgrades over the next ten years. This contrasts with an anticipated expenditure of £25,000 per person for those living in MoD accommodation, this figure includes ongoing maintenance.

This Government has asked our armed forces to undertake enormously challenging missions, while simultaniously cutting investment in them.

Our role as a leading western democracy places responsibilities on us in the fight against terror. It will be our armed forces who are required to fulfill much of this responsibilty for us. We should therefore be ensuring that proper investment is made in those who undertake these tasks, in their equipment and in their welfare.

Spending £2.3 billion on new offices isn't to my mind investment in the right place, we're right to be asking for the whole scheme to be properly audited and reviewed.