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News
High minister ‘makes no apology’ for Raac selections as Labour asks if he’s ‘ashamed’ over disaster precipitated by 13 years of ‘botched jobs’
Expert explains why Raac is extra abominable than long-established concrete
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Sir Keir Starmer has blamed the crumbling concrete disaster on “decreasing corners” and “sticking plaster politics” as he grilled the prime minister in PMQs right this moment time.
The Labour chief: “It’s the form command you interrogate from cowboy builders asserting all people else is infamous, all people is to blame, protesting that they’re doing an effing moving job even if the ceiling falls in – excluding on this case the cowboys are working this nation.”
He added: “Isn’t he ashamed that after 13 years childhood are cowering beneath steel helps, stopping their classroom roof falling in.”
Rishi Sunak acknowledged he was not sorry for the choice to shut around 100 of the 156 colleges with Raac, asserting he would “gain no apology for acting decisively within the light of original data”.
It comes as the Division for Training has revealed a full list of the colleges affected with Raac in England.
Are you a parent whose itsy-bitsy one has been plagued by RAAC closures? Electronic mail alexander.butler@fair.co.uk
Starmer: Sunak’s champagne Tories keep bubbly tax slice ahead of bubbly concrete
Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of placing champagne drinkers ahead of college safety by decreasing the budget for rebuilding classrooms while slashing accountability on bubbly.
Ahead of a showdown with the prime minister within the Commons later the Labour chief highlighted Mr Sunak’s decision to slash funding within the faculty property while decreasing accountability on shining wine.
“These are selections. [Sunak] didn’t philosophize, ‘Neatly, I will’t attain that in the case of champagne’. He took a solution to slice the price in the case of champagne and to not label off the specified funding for faculty,” Sir Keir informed BBC Recordsdata.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 15:54
Decision to exhaust £34 million revamping offices ‘nothing to attain with me,’ Keegan says
The choice to exhaust £34 million to revamp the Division for Training’s headquarters had “nothing to attain with me”, the tuition secretary has acknowledged.
Labour’s Sarah Owen (Luton North) earlier informed the Commons Gillian Keegan had to “gain a grip and portray why her offices got a £34 million refurbishment when colleges are crumbling beneath this Tory govt”.
Responding to the opposition day debate, Gillian Keegan later acknowledged: “£34 million is a govt constructing for the Division for Training that was signed off by the industrial director for the Division for Training, nothing to attain with me, based on a decision made in 2019 ahead of I was a minister.”
(PA Wire)
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 15:30
Some colleges with crumbling concrete could presumably must be demolished, consultants warn
Some of the English colleges discovered to absorb the crumbling concrete could presumably must be demolished if repairs change into too pricey, consultants absorb informed The Independent.
Rishi Sunak’s govt – beneath fireplace over years of “underinvestment” in college restore work – has been informed it’ll be extra tag effective to jot down off some of the older affected colleges and originate original ones.
Asbestos issues in some of the 147 colleges identified as having bolstered autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) – the field field topic when compared with an “Aero bar” – could presumably complicate remedial work, acknowledged constructing specialists.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 15:09
No 10: ‘No reveal timeline’ for resolution to disaster
The government isn’t going to submit a submission from the Division for Training (DfE) to the Treasury asking for cash to cope with the crumbling concrete disaster blighting colleges.
Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman cited a “long-standing arrangement” to not submit official advice to ministers, asserting he would not release the submission.
Mature DfE everlasting secretary Jonathan Slater acknowledged this week a submission to the Treasury ahead of a 2021 spending overview to rebuild 200 colleges a year was turned down despite warnings of a “extreme probability to existence”.
Asked about when colleges which had been plagued by the crumbling Raac concrete, the PM’s spokesman acknowledged the govt “can’t keep a reveal timeline on it”.
Within the colleges identified as hit by the field, mitigations will most certainly be in disclose “in a topic of weeks”, nonetheless there “are peaceable some renowned surveys”.
One in 20 colleges sent surveys to establish Raac by the DfE have not answered, the spokesman confirmed.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 14:40
College Raac concrete disaster: 7 questions from fogeys answered by expert as govt list affected colleges
Schools Week editor John Dickens tackled questions on homeschooling, further closures, contingency plans and further:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 14:24
Safety of pupils and workers is ‘precedence’- Gillian Keegan
In a written observation, education secretary Gillian Keegan, acknowledged: “I know right here is the last arrangement fogeys, lecturers and kids plagued by this desired to commence the original term, nonetheless it no doubt will constantly be my precedence to gain certain the protection of pupils and workers.
“Thanks to the onerous work of colleges, colleges, councils, diocese and academy trusts, the majority of settings the keep Raac has been confirmed absorb opened to all pupils for the commence of term.
“We can proceed to reinforce all impacted settings in whatever arrangement we can, whether or not that’s through our team of devoted caseworkers or through capital funding to keep mitigations in disclose.
“We are also expediting surveys and urging all to blame bodies to uncover us what they know about Raac, so we could presumably even be confident that settings are safe and supported.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 14:00
PM promises original funding to varsities to cope with concrete factors
High minister Rishi Sunak offered assurances that original funding will most certainly be provided for colleges with concrete in danger of crumple.
He was responding to Conservative former cabinet minister Priti Patel who asked at High Minister’s Questions: “Can he strive and commit… to fully funding every the capital and earnings charges which would be associated with getting childhood wait on into college.”
Mr Sunak acknowledged: “I am to present her the reassurance as the Chancellor already acknowledged, original funding will most certainly be provided to varsities to cope with this command.
“Nonetheless also to make certain we can gain through this as immediate as most likely for her constituents and fogeys and indeed all people’s, DfE (Division for Training) are within the arrangement of increasing the amount of devoted caseworkers from 50 to 80.
“We’ve 35 project directions domestically on the ground to reinforce, and we’ve increased the amount of ogle corporations by bigger than double so that we can all of sudden over the following few weeks fully assess the total relevant colleges and absorb a mitigation idea in disclose.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 13:forty five
Starmer: ‘Gillian Keegan’s £34m Whitehall office makeover presentations actuality of uncaring Tories’
The £34m revamp of education secretary Gillian Keegan’s offices presentations that the Tories don’t care about spending ample to repair collapsing colleges, acknowledged Sir Keir Starmer.
The Labour chief broken-down PMQs to savage Rishi Sunak’s govt over the crumbling concrete disaster – arguing that “the cowboys are working the nation”.
Ms Keegan informed Sky Recordsdata earlier this week she “didn’t know” £34m was being spent on the departmental refurb and insisted she “wasn’t fervent”.
Nonetheless Sir Keir – highlighting the extravagant spending as ministers reach beneath fireplace over “underinvestment” in colleges – acknowledged it had her “non-public impress of approval”.
Adam Forrest has extra:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 13:30
Starmer: Sunak’s champagne Tories keep bubbly tax slice ahead of bubbly concrete
Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of placing champagne drinkers ahead of college safety by decreasing the budget for rebuilding classrooms while slashing accountability on bubbly.
Ahead of a showdown with the prime minister within the Commons later the Labour chief highlighted Mr Sunak’s decision to slash funding within the faculty property while decreasing accountability on shining wine.
“These are selections. [Sunak] didn’t philosophize, ‘Neatly, I will’t attain that in the case of champagne’. He took a solution to slice the price in the case of champagne and to not label off the specified funding for faculty,” Sir Keir informed BBC Recordsdata.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 13:10
Gillian Keegan’s division ‘gave £1m from colleges rebuilding pot to firm linked to husband’
Training secretary Gillian Keegan has “extreme inquiries to resolution”, acknowledged Labour after it emerged that a firm linked to her husband was handed a £1m contract from a colleges rebuilding fund.
The cabinet minister’s husband Michael Keegan states on his LinkedIn social media page that he’s a non-executive director at skills firm Centerprise.
The firm was one of six suppliers awarded IT contracts earlier this year to interchange server infrastructure at colleges – with the cash coming from the faculty rebuilding programme fund, per the Day-to-day Mirror.
Adam Forrest reports:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 September 2023 12:57