An incredible front page from the Mail.
But a Tory source described the advert as ‘pathetic’, pointing out that classrooms were being shut as a precaution in order to ensure that schools are safe for pupils to return this week.
They were informed that the buildings were very unsafe in January, and yet they have sent kids into the buildings all this year. The only reason they have owned up to them being unsafe is because a roof collapsed over the summer. This could so easily have been a major tragedy. There was a report published about this in 2019. Labour have been using FOI requests on the status of the repairs all year. IMO if a kid is injured or killed by this, there should be criminal charges.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: ‘Labour were warned about this when they were last in office and did nothing; they ignored the issue in opposition; and now it’s in the news they have decided they are interested.
No source cited OFC. Using Labour as an excuse for something you have ignored for 13 years is pretty pathetic. It shows they have no real justification for this at all.
The government are refusing to give a list of the schools involved. Labour have motioned a bill to get that list from them.
‘In the meantime, in Labour-run Wales they are recklessly sending students back to school without checking they are safe, leaving parents in the dark.’ Yesterday’s attack revived a notorious campaign run by Labour earlier this year.
Again no one except the government know which buildings are affected. You cannot react on information you do not have.
I heard on the radio yesterday that Labour had a multi million pound plan to start rebuilding schools and address this problem. Then the Tories came to power and scrapped it and did nothing.
“Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said the crisis stemmed from the Conservatives’ decision in 2010 to axe the Building Schools for the Future programme – the investment strategy introduced under Tony Blair – and what she described as repeated raids on education capital budgets.
“Using already-allocated money to just make safe school buildings with Raac is funnelling money away from other necessary work to upgrade schools and remove dangerous asbestos, storing up problems for the future,” she said.”
From here.
It’s time we stopped just talking about “levelling up” and started acting, the country needs a New Deal-esque stimulus to create skills and build new infrastructure with them. Schools, transport, hospitals, housing, it has all lagged behind for too long and now the damage is becoming clear.
Optimistic thinking and positive, constructive visions seem a bit lacking in Labour’s outlook however.
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https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/jul/05/school-building-programme-budget-cuts