Education secretary underneath fireplace for opening ‘Pandora’s field’ on concrete disaster

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has come underneath fireplace from colleagues for her “unilateral” resolution to find out which faculty buildings want to shut as a part of the concrete disaster, Sky News has realized.

Ministers elsewhere in Whitehall concern she has opened a “Pandora’s Box” by setting a extra cautious than obligatory commonplace that might have an effect on an enormous array of public buildings, together with housing inventory, native authority buildings and the army property.

The training secretary has made clear she took essentially the most cautious of the choices offered by officers over which buildings to close final week.

Sky News understands she “informed” the related Whitehall committees, which have been coping with the difficulty of crumbling concrete for years. However, she didn’t totally seek the advice of or safe settlement for her transfer, believing she wanted to maneuver quick.

Ministers are fearful they may now face large disruption and spiralling prices if different public buildings at the moment are held to the identical precedent set within the Department for Education.

“This is suboptimal,” stated a senior Whitehall determine. “She has made a unilateral decision. It’s not been resolved, and it’s a bit of a mess.”

Sources near the training secretary say the choice was by no means supposed to behave as a precedent for the reason that faculty property is exclusive. “We are being over-cautious,” stated an training supply.

There are tens of 1000’s of faculty buildings in disparate components of the nation and infrequently would not have quick access to property managers, screens or consultants who can monitor the state of buildings, and the buildings themselves are unusually crowded.

However, there’s concern elsewhere that the choice by Ms Keegan could nonetheless appear as if a precedent, and if different public buildings aren’t held to the identical commonplace they must repair them or face authorized danger and political strain.

Responsibility for the difficulty will now fall to the Government Property Agency, however ministers are already involved concerning the implications for budgets.

“There is a big fear this is going to spiral,” stated a Tory supply.