People moving to the Cotswolds to take advantage of home working during the pandemic have made renting unaffordable for the growing population of military personnel at RAF Fairford, a US Air Force (USAF) spokesperson has said. In response to these rising prices, vacant properties at the base are now being fixed up to house travelling aircrew.
Many USAF personnel are already forced to travel long distances to find affordable housing, a situation which could worsen with RAF Fairford’s new role as the world’s largest military’s strategic “command and control” centre – which will see more than 30 additional American military families moving to the Gloucestershire airbase by the summer.
In bringing Fairford’s old military housing up to standard, the US military hopes to improve readiness and reduce the need for troops to drive home down back lanes in Gloucestershire’s frequently “unfavourable” weather conditions. USAF Senior Master Sgt. Joshua Hinsey said of the renovations: “It will be a long-term process, with the first step striving to appropriately staff Fairford,”
READ MORE: RAF Fairford will benefit from £117m investment in US facilities at UK bases
He continued: “It is essential to strike the right balance between the quality of life for our individuals and our mission needs.”
The housing units were last occupied by the families of personnel from RAF Brize Norton between 2011 and 2021 due to a lack of living quarters at the Oxfordshire airbase. The Ministry of Defence and the US military hope to rectify this issue through a huge £117m facilities investment in the state of UK-US bases, announced in 2022.
“We’ve got to bring in the white goods,” said Alex Wilkieson, 422nd squadron installation management chief. “There are no washers, dryers, freezers, and dishwashers in here at the moment. We’re checking the heating systems, painting, cleaning carpets, painting fences… making them look as esthetically pleasing as possible with the budget that we have.”
Moving personnel back to the base will also remove a layer of bureaucracy from the process of US soldiers privately renting in the county, Fairford housing manager Ian Murray said: “At the moment everybody is living off base, we help them to find houses off base through local letting agents, we find out what their rent caps are to find a suitable house, we give them tips on what to look for, and inspect the houses where possible.
“If there’s anything they may need during their stay, if their boiler blows up or they have a problem with their landlord, they come see us and we mediate. Then hopefully when all the houses are ready for occupation, we can offer them houses.”
The first newly renovated homes for US personnel and their families are nearing completion at the airbase, with work being carried out by the staff and engineers of the 501st Combat Support Wing, the division of the US Air Force that ensures combat readiness across UK airbases which will soon be able to call RAF Fairford its home, as well as its headquarters.
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