Agenda item

The Chair introduced Marshall Scott from the Building Safety Team to introduce the report to members on the LGA’s awareness-raising work regarding the dangers of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

Charles Loft, Senior Policy Adviser confirmed to the Chair that the response rate referred to council-owned schools, however, council’s responsibilities in academies and other schools is ambiguous (in some areas, councils may have contracts with academies to maintain buildings). This is, therefore, potentially a much larger problem, and part of the strategy aims to push academies and diocese schools to check their buildings. The LGA is seeking to understand from the Department of Education (DfE) how they plan to tackle the wider problem beyond councils’ legal responsibility.

Members comments:

·       The Chair asked what funding was available for councils to carry out the necessary remedial work, and to what extent councils were funded by existing work and refurbishment programmes for schools. 

·       The scale of the issue was raised, as this may be a problem in many buildings that cannot be addressed by the DfE alone. Members sought clarity on whether outside of councils’ responsibility for schools, this was a building control issue where they had a wider responsibility.

·       There were concerns that this has the potential to turn into another major building safety issue like Grenfell Tower/cladding, and that the buck should stop with government over what was permitted at the time. Officers were asked to engage with the WLGA on the issue.

In response to concerns regarding the scale of the issue, Members were advised that the Office of Government Property (OGP) had written to all government departments to clarify if the approach would be extended to other public buildings as well as schools. It was further clarified to Members that this was not concern for all buildings but potentially for those built with RAAC between 1950 and 1990.

Decision

That members agree that the LGA should pursue the updated strategy of awareness raising and collaboration with the Department for Education outlined in paragraph 15 of the report.

Action

·       Officers to with the OGP how wide an issue this may be beyond municipal buildings and who is responsible, to help inform a paper which will outline for members the scope of their responsibility (ie whether this is a schools issue or a wider building control issue).

·       Officers to contact other regions particularly the Welsh LGA.