Dangerous crumbling concrete confirmed in Greater Manchester schools and hospitals

Dangerous crumbling concrete which the government says could require immediate building closures has been confirmed in Greater Manchester schools and hospitals.

More than a hundred schools across England have been told by the government that they need to shut facilities or put urgent safety measures in place because of the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The government says this specific type of concrete has now been classed as an immediate safety risk as it has the potential to suddenly collapse, and schools have been instructed they must take instant action if it is identified.

Eight of the Greater Manchester councils – Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Wigan – have confirmed that RAAC has not been found in any of their local authority schools.

A total of 156 schools in England have been confirmed to contain RAAC, the Department of Education has said. Of these, 52 have already put mitigations in place.

Now 104 schools have been instructed to immediately restrict access to spaces where RAAC has been confirmed.

However, the list of affected schools – including state, religious and academy trust-run facilities – has yet to be confirmed by the government, and local leaders in Greater Manchester are also unable to provide full details.

The government said a list would be published once parents and carers have been informed via schools.

The official advice states that in spaces where RAAC is present, ‘those spaces should remain out of use until appropriate mitigations are in place, even where they would have been deemed ‘non-critical’ previously’.

The building material was widely used between the 1950s up to the mid-1990s, and has a lifespan of around 30 years.

It is also understood to have been found in the roofs at both Salford Royal and Royal Oldham Hospitals, with a ‘mitigation plan in place for necessary remediation and failsafe measures.’

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The NHS has a mitigation plan in place for hospital buildings with confirmed RAAC, backed with significant additional funding of £698 million from 2021 to 2025, for trusts to put in place necessary remediation and failsafe measures.

“We remain committed to eradicating RAAC from the NHS estate entirely by 2035. 

“The technical advice received from the NHS is that the current approach to monitoring and mitigation remains appropriate.” 

Charlotte Green, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Additional reporting: Rochdale Online News