Despite Jeremy Hunt’s promises to “spend what it takes” to make classrooms safe amidst a crumbling concrete crisis, the Treasury has said there is “no extra cash” to fix classrooms prone to collapse.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show, Mr Hunt would not speculate on the potential cost of fixing the problem, but said: “We will spend what it takes to make sure children can go to school safely, yes.”
However, Whitehall sources reported that additional costs for headteachers, including transport to alternative schools and catering, will not be covered by central government, according to reports in The Guardian.
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel urged the government to offer money to schools struggling amidst the crisis, noting in an interview with The Guardian that “many of the affected schools are maintained local authority schools and single academy trusts which cannot afford the costs of repairs.”
Meanwhile, schools minister Nick Gibb has admitted more classrooms could be forced to shut and Mr Hunt on Sunday confirmed further structural problems could emerge in the coming “weeks or months.”
