Many people, like myself, are deeply concerned about the issue of Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (RAAC) in schools, particularly given its tendency to collapse with no warning.

This isn’t new and for some years now the Labour Party, local authorities and teaching unions have been pressing the Government for action.

This has been made much worse by the inept response over recent days of the Minister responsible for schools and the shocking attitude of the Secretary of State, both West Sussex MPs showing in one vital area the general poor quality we have come to expect from the local Tories when they are in charge of running services, but in this case shambolically inflicted on a national scale.

So it was with great sadness Peter Lamb and I considered it necessary to write on behalf of our community expressing the deep concern many local people feel with the Government’s handling of the potentially lethal issue of crumbling concrete in schools.

Rather than using this time to develop a plan for addressing the problem, the announcement that children are not to be permitted into any buildings known to contain RAAC just before the re-opening of schools, has created chaos for both parents and teachers.

Worse, the lack of action taken to identify the buildings at risk after five years of debate displays breathtaking negligence. Indeed, I understand that in May 2023 Crawley’s MP Henry Smith voted with his Conservative colleagues in Parliament against publishing surveys on school building safety.

Children, parents and teachers deserve to know that the Government will now act to keep them safe.

For some of us, this long standing combination of complacency and denials that anything was wrong is eerily reminiscent of Tory-run West Sussex County Council right up until the point Children’s Services were put into special measures after being deemed inadequate. Young people’s welfare was at stake there, too.

Rishi Sunak is personally responsible for cutting funding for school buildings both as Chancellor and again as Prime Minister.  It was unacceptable then and could have terrible consequences now unless addressed with great urgency.

Cllr Michael Jones,

Leader, Crawley Borough Council