Thousands more public buildings face closure as ministers are urged to uncover the extent of the crumbling concrete crisis.
GP surgeries, courts and other government premises are thought to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), after the Department of Education ordered 104 schools to close all or part of their facilities.
Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, will face further demands to publish a full list of schools found to be built using RAAC as she is questioned in the Commons on the issue for the first time today.
Angus Drummond from RAAC Consulting and Solutions said his firm’s working hypothesis was that about 10% of UK schools, around 2,000, could be affected. The figure is disputed by the government.
“The next question is where else is this?” Drummond said. The government has 136,000 “built assets”, including schools, hospitals, GP surgeries and Ministry of Defence buildings. He believes thousands could contain RAAC.
There are also further fears that crumbling concrete could expose schools and other public buildings to asbestos.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has promised to “spend what it takes” to fix the problem, but the repair costs will be paid for from the existing education budget.
