Young Gibraltarians offered £30,000 housing deposit to join Royal Gibraltar Regiment

A Housing bursary for those joining the Royal Gibraltar Regiment has been announced.

Set at £30,000, the approximate cost of  a three year university degree, it will be applied as a deposit for the purchase of a home, either within the private property market or from the affordable housing scheme.

Applicants can not previously have benefited from the education bursary, which the initiative is intended to substitute, or have previously purchased an affordable home.

Recipients must commit to seven years of service. 

The programme, aims at fostering local talent, enhancing recruitment, and providing a strong incentive for young Gibraltarians to serve in the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. 

Applicants must be between 18 and 29 years of age, registered with the Civil Status and Registration Office, hold a valid Gibraltar identity card and have been resident in Gibraltar for the last 10 years with no permitted gaps. 

The grant can be released as from the third year of employment in the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. It will not be retrospectively applied and will only be available to new entrants. 

In a statement the Government says, these mechanisms ensure the bursary is linked not only to service and commitment to a career but also give a helping hand to young Gibraltarians moving forward in life, looking to purchase a home.
The Chief Minister says the Government has always reiterated its full support for the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and made repeated commitments to ensure its growth.

Since 2015, all RG permanent personnel have had the opportunity to benefit from affordable housing schemes.

Fabian Picardo says this did not go far enough with the Government including specific commitments to find solutions to the housing problems faced by the Regiment as a direct result of the previous GSD administration’s land agreement.

He adds he's proud to announce this Housing Bursary as the Regiment celebrates its 86th anniversary and in the year we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and to bolster the UK’s Strategic Defence Review Objectives.