Council on RAAC: “we found no defects in any of our schools whatsoever”

Historic building decisions by Clwyd County Council may help Wrexham over the current ‘RAAC’ issue.

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) is a material used in construction in many buildings between the 1960s and 1990s. Its presence has been confirmed in a range of public sector properties across the UK including schools and hospitals and has prompted a flurry of reviews and inspections. ‌

Local authorities were made aware of the potential issue with RAAC through the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) in February 2020 after the safety alert was published in 2019.​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

Wrexham Council have detailed that six surveyors with existing knowledge of Wrexham’s schools, working in pairs, worked through inspections in a very short time period in recent days. The council said that means “resources have had to be diverted from other significantly important projects and may cause members some delays in responses for other matters”.

The priority inspections were in schools known to have concrete roofs and floors and not necessarily the presence of RAAC.

The council have told councillors, “Asbestos may be present in many properties and the exposure of structures behind finishes (e.g. plasterboard ceilings) may need invasive works by asbestos specialists. Suspect materials will need to be inspected by a qualified structural engineer, this will require additional resources.”

The reporting template pictured above was required to be completed, identifying any issues of concern and to establish an up to date position in relation to schools, which was due to Welsh Government on Wednesday however the outcome was not provided in the latest information report made public – which although is dated 6th September was made public yesterday.

Wrexham.com asked Wrexham Council about the RAAC situation, and was pointed to the information report, but was also told after “initial assessments in the work we’re following to the guidelines, we found no defects in any of our schools whatsoever” – with nothing requiring any intervention.

Extra context was provided, that Wrexham appears to be in a similar position to Denbighshire and Flintshire where there appears to be low risk of RAAC. The ‘period of risk for RAAC’ matches the period of the old Clywd County Council, so procurement and building methods at that time may have meant there is limited risk currently – whereas other places in Wales and the UK may have a different position due to historic choices.

Now Wrexham Council are reviewing all council buildings, with Council Leader Mark Pritchard asking who would pay for any fixes if required, “If you look at the news, international news, and across the country, it’s been focused on schools, and I understand why, but there are other buildings in our society, community centers, sports halls, etc. and we have to check all of them.

“It wouldn’t surprise me, but I hope not, if we do have a building, or there’s an issue somewhere with RAAC in the future. I don’t know. But, what we will ask the question to the Welsh Government is ‘who is going to pay for this?’

“This is across 22 local authorities in Wales, there will be some authorities that will have this issue. Where will that money come from? I think that’s important.”

The UK Treasury has said that there will be no new money to deal with RAAC.

Cllr David A Bithell praised staff, “They have been stopping other work to do this, to help make sure. My thanks is to them for doing a good job in a short space of time.

“I had a meeting with health and safety officers on Monday, as the work continues, and we’re going to continue now on the other buildings.

“We are also seeking guidance from Welsh Government, as if we need to intensify our service and staffing, then we will be looking to recover the costs from Welsh Government because clearly this is an additional pressure on our staff and resources at this time when really when we need them to do other stuff.”

There is currently a weekly chief council officer group meeting on the matter, with councillors being updated ‘regularly’ on the issue.

What is RAAC?

RAAC is a lightweight form of precast concrete, frequently used in public sector buildings in the UK from the mid-1960s to the 1990s, before devolution. It was invented in Sweden in the 1930s.

It is mainly found in roofs, occasionally in floors and walls. Visually, RAAC planks may look the same as pre-cast concrete, and may be hidden above false ceilings.

It is less durable than traditional concrete and there have been problems as a result, which could have significant safety consequences.

Research has shown that this material has a far lower structural loading capacity than other generic reinforced concrete products. Its condition deteriorates further if water is present, due to leaks from roofs etc, which can compromise the reinforcement bars contained within RAAC planks.

The lifespan of such planks has been estimated to be around 30 years