Army decamps to hotel due to uninhabitable barracks
Dutch NewsMore than a hundred Dutch soldiers are staying in hotels because their local barracks are uninhabitable, the ministry of defence has confirmed to DutchNews.nl. A total of 150 soldiers have been decamped to alternative accommodation after a meeting about the ‘acute situation’, a defence spokesman confirmed. ‘The youngest of the buildings was almost thirty years old and we wanted to sell the complex so had not invested in them for many years,’ said a defence spokesman to DutchNews.nl. VBM chairman Jean Debie said on BNR Nieuwsradio that a decision to move maintenance responsibilities away from defence and to another government department have compounded the situation: ‘This is a result of political decision-making and €2bn in cuts’ he said. ‘There’s a huge backlog of maintenance for infrastructure and military buildings.’ The defence spokesman added to DutchNews.nl that there are perks to the move for some of the troops: ‘I have heard from the commander that some people think having a hotel room with a really good bed is great, but others think it’s nice for an evening but not a place to hang up posters and make their own.’
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Army decamps to hotel due to uninhabitable barracks
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