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1st Battalion Coldstream Guards Welfare Office
News
*EXCLUSIVE*
The Battalion was recently visited by Tom Watson,
the new Minister for Veterans and Under Secretary of
State for Defence. Members of the Battalion were
asked to be present to put forward any issues and
concerns. One of the main concerns by ‘all ranks’ in
the Regiment was MODern Housing Solutions, the
Commanding Officer and Families Officer then
confirmed this problem.
Mr Watson was obviously very concerned of the
comments and examples quoted to him on this visit
and arranged to visit the Help Desk that takes all
‘your calls’ at Matchworks. The Welfare Office was
contacted by Defence Press Office at this stage to
make us aware that he would be looking into this.
The following quote has been given directly from Tom
Watson, the Under-Secretary of State for Defence and
Minister for Veterans exclusively for Coldstream and
attached personnel.
Defence Minister Tom Watson said:
“I am very pleased that one of my early visits as a
Defence Minister is to the Helpdesk here at
Matchworks. It is one of my priorities to ensure all
our Service personnel and their families receive the
highest standard of accommodation. This relatively
new Helpdesk supports that goal by providing a
single point of contact for repair and maintenance
of the homes occupied by Service families in England
and Wales.
…. It is one of my
priorities to ensure all our Service personnel and
their families receive the highest standard ...
“I know there have been some problems with the
Helpdesk, and I want to reassure families who rely
on this service that these are rectified as soon as
possible. My visit to Matchworks is to find out for
myself how it is working, to ensure that Service
personnel, either based in the UK or on deployment,
have the peace of mind knowing that their families
are being well looked after.”
The Welfare Office are continuing to investigate
problems, as mentioned in the last edition of the
Coldstream Star but you are advised to ensure that
you follow the procedure below ‘before’ notifying
us.
1. Log your damage/repair with the MHS help desk on
0800 707 6000, ensuring that you note down any
reference numbers and names of individuals that took
your call.
2. You will then be given information regarding your
call, as to when someone will call to investigate
the damage/repair (unless this is an emergency –
which will be dealt with on a priority basis).
3. MHS will then pass on the works to contractors
who will then (more than likely) deal with your
problem direct. This will probably be initiated by a
contractor visiting your home to confirm the repair
and see if this can be rectified on site. No parts
will be ordered at this stage as there could be a
chance that this can ‘could be’ rectified on the
initial call out.
4. Arrangements will then be made with the
‘customer’ (you) and the MHS/Contractor to visit
you, this is based on the priority of work needed.
5. You must then understand that these
repairs/damages will be rectified as soon as
possible, and must allow time for MHS to resolve
this problem. If you feel as though this is not
happening in a justifiable timeframe you can then
log a ‘complaint’ through the same number (as
above), MHS will then investigate this complaint.
6. If after following this guide you still feel as
though you are getting nowhere please pass on all
this information to the Welfare Office with Call
Refs and dates etc. We will then do our best to
investigate the problem on your behalf.
Please bear in mind that the Welfare Office will try
to look into all cases that are given to us but time
must be given to MHS to allow them to investigate
and resolve it themselves. For more information on
MODern Housing Solutions you can visit their website
at
http://www.modernhousingsolutions.com.
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