Are RFCA afraid other Squadrons will a) build their own HQs and more importantly b) remove themselves from the RFCA contracting repair sysrem that supports their ‘friends’ ?
I know of a squadron that has been offered a large new build squadron on a new housing estate for £1. It is part of the developer’s legal obligation to provide a community building and the ATC squadron approached the developer with HQAC’s support. It is on a separate site to the unit’s existing spooner hut.
It is going ahead. But the local RFCA has said that the building would be too large, would be too expensive to maintain and has made the developer revise the plans (I believe at RFCA’s cost) so it is a ‘standard’ 300m2 building, which is I believe half the size of what it was originally going to be. Which is a shame for a squadron that has in the recent past paraded nearly 100 cadets.
I think the wording is left over from the original days in the 1940s where a Sqn was not given a number until certain criteria was met one of which being accommodation which they were to supply.
Speaking from what happened in our wing regarding 3 Sqns local to me, when they were made homeless the CivComm were asked to help locate potential locations/ buildings for a new building. Unfortunately RFCA missed some of the ideal locations as they were too late dragging their feet in engaging with developers/ owners.
I suspect that there is a certain amount of empire-building by RFCAs going on there.
There are certainly some units who have their own premises, and indeed essentially rent the accommodation back to RFCAs. Past that, I’ve no idea how complex it gets - for example, RFCAs would seem perfectly entitled to refuse to pay a CWC rent for a premises that is far larger than that to which it would usually be entitled.
RFCA Is a huge issue the Corps needs to take control of and get rid or start suing to get back all it’s money that’s been wasted in stupid decisions, horrendous repairs, illegal installations and POOR repairs.
I know what I say may cause some mods to question keeping it up here but I would welcome the fight with RFCA in court, I have the evidence and know it’s easily won and If anyone from HQAC is reading this then by all means pm me your email address and we can talk.
RFCA should be on BBC1s cowboy builders program
You could probably have a full Series about them
In particulary when you have RFCA employee’s who were at WSO level and now higher in the RAFAC, that is a serious conflict of issue situation regarding CEP.
If you do get a new building and you are sharing you also need to be very watchful on floor space allocation.
1 unit I know of was to get a new building and share with 2 ACF detachments (yes 2 ACF units in same location) HQAC pay 50% ACF pay 50% yet the ATC unit was to get only 1/3rd of the floor and classroom space and the ACF were to get 2/3rd nobody saw a problem with that at RFCA.
As I recall, the Civ Com need to provide accommodation for a DF, but once converted to a Sqn this becomes the responsibility of HQAC Org via RFCA.
You’d need a lot of money to complete a new build, that could be spent in other ways.
The only other issue would be if the local RFCA then refuse to rent the premises from the CWC for the Sqn…
You would also need to insure the building, as it wouldn’t be covered by the MOD Self Insurance, other than for activities. And if you were to rent to other groups would need PLI I suspect.
