| Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP Secretary of State for Education Via email |
| Councillor Tudor Evans Leader of the Plymouth City Council Plymouth City Council Council House Plymouth PL1 2AA [email protected] www.plymouth.gov.uk |
1 September 2023
Dear Secretary of State
The fiasco created by your handling of the dangerous ‘crumbling concrete’ schools issue is a new low – even for this government.
With just days to go before the start of the new term parents have got enough to worry about without having to find out if their child’s school is safe. It is staggering that ministers have waited until now to act on this issue, and it is appalling that thousands of children face chaos and disruption to their education because they cannot start at their own school next week.
The secrecy around this announcement has caused huge concerns – it is now vital that you come clean. Please confirm that you will:
- Immediately publish the full national list of schools involved so every parent can be sure whether their child is affected
- Provide a full explanation as to why it has taken until now to act, despite receiving warnings about this problem from the Local Government Association, Labour Councils, and the Labour Party several years ago.
- Give clear and unequivocal guarantee to parents in Plymouth that ALL schools – including academies, free schools, and nurseries – have been properly assessed and that children are not at risk.
Parents across Plymouth deserve answers immediately. I trust you will provide them.
Yours sincerely
Councillor Tudor Evans OBE
Leader of Plymouth City Council
Government Condemned as Plymouth Avoids School Concrete Scandal – Plymouth Labour
