Expert explains why Raac is more dangerous than standard concrete
The scandal over schools built with crumbling concrete escalated overnight amid fears that asbestos could be exposed in some of the sites affected.
Asbestos and reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) often exist in the same building and at least 80 per cent of schools have asbestos present, according to The Sunday Times.
“Asbestos in schools presents a significant complicating factor in remediating issues relating to RAAC. Asbestos, once disturbed, is a serious hazard,” John Wallace, managing director of Ridgemont, a specialist estate law firm in London, told the paper.
Concerns about RAAC were raised years ago and a whistleblower, a former civil servant in the Department for Education, has accused ministers of being “dangerously complacent” on school safety.
“It just wasn’t a priority for the Spads [special advisers] or politicians,” the source told The Observer. “There is a good case for being cautious and prudent but the general environment of not funding things and trying to make do – that is where we are after 13 years [of Conservative government].”
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Labour plots vote to force ministers to reveal list of schools with crumbling concrete
As MPs return to the House of Commons on Monday after the summer holidays, the opposition will try to make political hay out of the fiasco by putting forward a humble address – an arcane parliamentary mechanism sometimes used to demand papers from government departments – to force the publication of a full list.
Matt Mathers3 September 2023 07:58
‘Dangerously complacent’
Ministers have been accused of being “dangerously complacent” over the risk from crumbling concrete in schools.
“It just wasn’t a priority for the Spads [special advisers] or politicians,” a whistleblower told The Observer.
“There is a good case for being cautious and prudent but the general environment of not funding things and trying to make do – that is where we are after 13 years [of Conservative government],” the source, a former civil servant in the department for education, added.
(Getty Images)
Matt Mathers3 September 2023 07:48
Fears asbestos could be exposed in crumbling schools
Asbestos could be exposed in schools affected by crumbling concrete, experts have warned.
“Asbestos in schools presents a significant complicating factor in remediating issues relating to RAAC,” John Wallace, managing director of Ridgemont, a specialist construction and real estate law firm in London, said.
“Asbestos, once disturbed, is a serious hazard,” he added.
The Government is facing calls to publish a list of schools affected by a lightweight concrete prone to collapse (Jacob King/PA)
(PA Wire)
Matt Mathers3 September 2023 07:41
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the schools concrete scandal.
The government has identified more than 100 schools forced to close or partially shut– plunging the new school term into chaos – because their buildings contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) – a lightweight material used in schools, colleges and other public buildings in the 1950s until the mid-1990s.
Government ministers and opposition MPs will be discussing the issue this morning. Stayed tuned for all the latest updates.
Matt Mathers3 September 2023 07:37