Contradictory statements from Monmouthshire County Council and the Welsh Government have “muddied the waters” over the response to school concrete concerns in Wales, an MP has said.
Last week, Monmouth MP David Davies wrote to Labour Cllr Martyn Groucutt, cabinet member for education, to question when the council had been asked by the Welsh Government to specifically check schools for the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
A written statement made by education minister Jeremy Miles on 4 September said the Welsh Government had been “working closely” with local authorities and the Welsh Local Government Association since March this year.
Mr Miles said: “Details of any instance or awareness of RAAC is being requested as part of the annual education data collection exercise. A number of local authorities have completed their school estate review and it is underway in others.
“In May, we commissioned a condition and energy survey of all state funded schools and colleges. The nature of the survey would highlight any structures suspected of containing RAAC for further inspection by specialist structural engineers”.
But Mr Davies said a letter he had received from Cllr Groucutt appeared to suggest otherwise.
Crucially, Cllr Groucutt stated: “With regards to specific requests from the Welsh Government to inspect the school estate with the sole purpose of identifying RAAC we have not received a specific request prior to the most recent period of activity.
“However, all of Monmouthshire’s schools are currently being surveyed as part of the ongoing review of condition and stability.
“As we have seen, this can be a fast-moving area of work and we want to make sure we share accurate information with the public. Monmouthshire County Council has been working with the Welsh Government to understand the risk of RAAC in schools and other local authority buildings. Initial reviews have been undertaken by specialist engineers and if further investigations are required, this will be undertaken.”
Cllr Groucutt added that, at this time, no RAAC had been discovered and the council “will continue to be guided by experts in this field”.
Mr Davies said the Welsh Government was “only just waking up” to concerns about RAAC and was “behind the curve”.
“To be fair, Monmouthshire County Council came back very quickly with a clear statement and I thank Cllr Groucutt for that,” he said.
“However, it is a contradiction - and we can’t have contradictions that muddy the waters in matters as important as this.
“A Labour controlled authority has told me that a request to check school buildings specifically for RAAC did not come from the Labour Welsh Government until what is described as ‘the most recent period of activity’, which I interpret as being last week.
“On the one hand, the Welsh Government is saying it has been working on the problem since May. But in reality, Cllr Groucutt has confirmed work is only now beginning.
“What is disappointing for me is that the Labour Welsh Government, which is completely responsible for the school estate in Wales, is 18 months behind the UK Government in getting to grips with this issue.”
Mr Davies added it was “unreasonable” for the Labour Party to try and “politicise” the RAAC situation.
“Unlike Welsh Labour, I am not going out with black and white pictures of First Minister Mark Drakeford and pinning the blame on him,” he said.
“In England, Labour activists have been trying to make political capital out of this situation by accusing the UK Government of being negligent and putting people’s lives at risk needlessly. I think that’s unreasonable and it is clear that more targeted surveys could have been undertaken in Wales.
“This goes back to when schools were built during the 1960s and 1970s. Moving forward, the priority needs to be working together to make sure school buildings are as safe as they can be.”