Welsh Government to pay cost of Raac repairs
THE WELSH Government will pay to repair schools with collapse-risk concrete, it has been announced.
Today, Education Minister Jeremy Miles said £2.56m has been made available to cover the cost of remedial works to the five affected schools in Wales – Ysgol David Hughes and Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi on Ynys Môn, Ysgol Maes Owen in Conwy, Ysgol Trefnant in Denbighshire and Eveswell Primary in Newport.
The Welsh Government has confirmed that all these schools are open to pupils.
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which is a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s, is now assessed to be at risk of collapse.
Last year, various buildings in Wales were detected with Raac, including Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, St David’s Hall in Cardiff and five schools across the country. There were 230 schools detected with Raac in England, while there were 39 in Scotland.
While £2.56m of the funding will be used to cover the costs of remedial work, a further £10m would be made available for large-scale capital maintenance work focused on energy-efficiency measures. According to the Welsh Government, this will include replacing roofs, windows, heating and ventilation works and electrical systems.
Mr Miles said: “The fact that so few cases of Raac were identified in our education estate is testament to the Welsh Government’s investment in schools over many years, both through our Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and more broadly. I want to make sure every learner can fulfil their potential, and their education is delivered in environments that are fit for purpose. The capital funding package I am announcing today will enable local authorities and colleges to carry out maintenance work to ensure the Welsh education estate is safe and efficient.”
In September of last year, Ysgol David Hughes, in Menai Bridge, and Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi, in Holyhead, Anglesey, were closed due to concrete concerns. Ynys Môn leader, Councillor Llinos Medi, said that the past few months had been “very tough” for the affected schools on the island.
Following the announcement that £2.65m of the funding would cover the remedial costs, she said: “I would like to thank the Welsh Government for this much-needed funding and its proactive support as we responded to the Raac emergency. These last few months have been very tough for our affected schools – Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi and Ysgol David Hughes, Menai Bridge.
“Extensive remedial works have already been carried out to ensure both schools were able to welcome all pupils back to their buildings for faceto-face learning. I would like to thank the school staff, pupils and parents and guardians for their patience, cooperation, and support.
“More remedial works are needed and it is important these are carried out as quickly as possible to ensure all areas within the school buildings are safe to use. Welsh Government funding will allow us to complete these works and meet other associated Raac costs, without having to use our own scarce reserve funding.”
Money to repair the 234 education settings in England at risk of collapse will come from the Department for Education’s existing capital budget, it is understood.