Fury as shamed Forces’ firm wins award
BRITISH troops reacted with fury last night after a shamed military housing supplier received an award for being ‘forces friendly’.
Soldiers and their families spoke out after CarillionAmey picked up the Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award – a prize given by defence chiefs to employers who support the military community.
The award comes after months of criticism by MPs, service charities and serving soldiers about troops being forced to live in ‘filthy, cold and rat-infested’ accommodation. In one threemonth period in 2016 the company – which has a £115million Government contract to maintain soldiers’ houses – had received more than 5,000 complaints.
The announcement of the award led to more than 600 comments on the company’s Facebook page.
Captain Matt Weites, the director of music for the Royal Marines, wrote: ‘They came to do a survey on our house back in January and told us that the kitchen needs replacing and the boiler is so old it should be condemned.
‘We have heard nothing since despite repeated calls. An absolute joke of a business.’
Rachel Smith, who also lives in a service home, added: ‘Are you for real? My ceiling is held together by a single piece of cardboard for well over a year.’
Hayley Taylor, another occupant of a service house, added: ‘Your poor standards, bad customer service and lack of empathy for service families is a joke.’
Last year, while giving evidence to the Public Accounts Committee, Richard Lumby, the managing director of Carillion Defence and Security, admitted his company had ‘dropped a big clanger’ and put service personnel and families though ‘significant discomfort’ over the last 18 months.
A CarillionAmey spokesman said last night: ‘Although we acknowledge that our performance in some areas was not satisfactory up to early 2016 we are now meeting, and in places exceeding, the overall requirements of our contracts.’