POLITICIANS locally have clashed over the Government's handling of the crumbling concrete crisis in school buildings.

LibDems have slammed the Government for not publishing a list of impacted schools, while Conservatives say a list is being made public this week.

More than 100 schools across the country have been told to close buildings because they are potentially at risk of collapse due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Gideon Amos, LibDem Parliamentary candidate for Taunton and Wellington said: “The Government must come clean about what schools in our area are affected by crumbling concrete.

“The secrecy about where these schools are located is creating worry and concern for all parents and teachers.

“Pupil safety must always be paramount, and parents want to be reassured that they are not sending their child back to school in an unsafe building that may collapse.

“Ministers must release information about each and every school that has been affected so far, and also set out a timetable to complete inspections on all other schools suspected to have RAAC.

“The truth is that we should never have got to this point and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s decision in 2021 to cut the programme to fix RAAC in these building has failed our hard-working schools on a massive scale.

“The Government has therefore known about this crumbling concrete for years, but time and again has denied our children the money needed to stop schools from collapsing completely."

Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow said: “Given the news last week regarding the impact of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in education settings, I fully appreciate there will be some uncertainty for parents and pupils across Taunton Deane as schools start back after the summer break.

"I have been made aware that Selworthy Special School in my constituency has identified RACC in several areas across its site. As a result, the school will not be opening as planned today (Wednesday, September 6) and one class will remain closed on Thursday to allow time for mitigations to be put in place. My office have been in touch with them to offer our assistance if required.

READ MORE: RAAC delays start of term at school in Taunton.

"At this time, one per cent of schools and colleges nationally are known to be affected and I am not aware of any further education settings in my constituency affected by this issue.

"The Department for Education have been working with our schools and colleges to manage the potential risks of RACC over recent years, and the reason why their approach has now shifted relates to the fact that new cases have come to light and the department wants to be confident regarding safety and so some schools will be affected whilst extra safety measures are put in place. I’ve been told that while this is a precautionary step, rightly, the safety of young people and staff should always be the priority.

"Parents unsure about whether their child’s school has undergone a RAAC survey and what the outcome might be should contact their school directly.

"The Government have already pledged to publish a detailed list of schools affected by RAAC later this week on GOV.UK and I will continue to closely monitor this situation and will report back if there are any implications for schools in this area.”