York Outer Labour MP Luke Charters says that in his constituency the Government will buy back 239 homes from a private landlord who currently owns them.
It’s part of a wider scheme to purchase about 35,000 military houses across the country.
Mr Charters said: “Since being elected as the Member of Parliament for York Outer, I have been working as hard as I can to serve the place that I am so proud to call home.
“Being an MP in this Labour Party, who were elected to Government on a mandate of change, is an immense privilege.
“When it comes to enacting that transformation, there is no better place to start than the recent announcement about housing for our armed forces.
“Britain has a strong history of supporting its military, and York is home to many wonderful serving personnel. I am so personally proud to represent the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Strensall.
“That’s why I am delighted that this week, the Government has announced it will improve military accommodation housing for service personnel in York Outer.”
Mr Charters said the deal will unlock a major programme of rebuilding and refurbishing military housing, and will help achieve the Prime Minister’s milestones on kick-starting economic growth and boosting housebuilding across the country.
He said: “This news not only shows that we are getting on with the job, but that we are also looking after the people in our society who are giving so much for us.
“As we go into the festive period, I want to send my warmest wishes to all military personnel and their families, and say thank you ever so much for your service.”
The Ministry of Defence will buy back 36,347 homes from property firm Annington, reversing the 1996 privatisation process.
Ministers and officials said the deal would mean ending the £230 million national annual rental cost of the homes.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the “dreadful deal” to privatise the service family estate was a “fire sale” by the Conservatives in the run-up to the 1997 general election.
As The Press reported earlier this year, the then defence procurement minister James Cartlidge confirmed in a letter to the previous York Outer MP Julian Sturdy that Queen Elizabeth Barracks would no longer be sold off.
Instead, the barracks – and nearby Towthorpe Lines – are to be retained by the MoD as the base for the Army’s 2 Med Group.
The future of the barracks has been under threat for eight years.
It was back in 2016 that the MoD first announced that the barracks – home to 2 Medical Brigade and 34 Field Hospital – were due to shut by 2021.
At one point, there were plans to build 500 homes on the site once it was sold off.
