TUC calls for national risk register in wake of Raac crisis

The issue in schools is likely to be the ‘tip of the iceberg’, with other public buildings also at risk, unions warn.
Damage inside Parks Primary School in Leicester which has been affected with sub-standard reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) (Jacob King/PA)
PA Wire
Alan Jones7 September 2023
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The TUC is calling on the government to publish a national risk register for all public buildings in the wake of the Raac crisis.

The union organisation warned that the issue in schools is likely to be the “tip of the iceberg”,  with hospitals, libraries, community centres and other public buildings also at risk.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “The school buildings fiasco has been a disaster years in the making.

The government has repeatedly blocked school leaders, teachers, support staff and their unions’ requests for information on the safety of school buildings

Paul Nowak, TUC

“Unions have consistently warned about the danger of crumbling classrooms but have been dismissed and ignored.

“It shouldn’t have taken another roof collapsing for the government to act.

“Across our public estate, including in our hospitals, libraries, community centres and courts, we have buildings at risk from Raac, asbestos and other severe structural problems.

“That is why today we are calling on the government to urgently publish a national risk register for all public buildings.”

Mr Nowak said people deserve to know the buildings they work in and use are safe, claiming that a “culture of secrecy” has prevented good decision-making and put lives at risk.

He added: “The government has repeatedly blocked school leaders, teachers, support staff and their unions’ requests for information on the safety of school buildings.

“We need the government to commit to a programme of capital investment that repairs and rebuilds our public estate.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT