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Request

Subject: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC)

Reference: WBC-FOI-00427

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information about the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in schools which the council has maintenance obligations for.

In 2018 the Local Government Association and Department for Education sent an alert to schools and responsible authorities about the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) that was used to construct any part of school estates between the 1960s and 1980s. Could you please answer the following questions relating to the official Government guidance (the most recent of which can be found here).

1. According to the Government guidance, since 2018 how many schools for which you have maintenance responsibility require inspection to determine if RAAC is present?

2. How many of those schools have been physically inspected to identify if RAAC is present?

3. For each building that was inspected:

3a) How many required remedial works to replace or repair the RAAC?

3b) How many repairs have been completed?

Response

Part Disclosed - 18 January 2023

Request for Information - WBC-FOI-00427 - Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC)

I refer to your request for information received on 16 January 2023. Please see the information below in response to your request: -

1.According to the Government guidance, since 2018 how many schools for which you have maintenance responsibility require inspection to determine if RAAC is present?

So far only 1 school in Wandsworth has confirmed identified RAAC in the ceiling / roofing structure.

2.How many of those schools have been physically inspected to identify if RAAC is present?

As above.

3.For each building that was inspected:

3a) How many required remedial works to replace or repair the RAAC?

This detail is not currently known. In order to conduct intrusive RAAC surveys throughout all schools considered as high risk, asbestos surveys must first be carried out in the ceiling / roof spaces, which the Council are currently in the process of commissioning. As RAAC planks were identified early at the school in question above due to the visible bowing of a ceiling section, temporary structural supports have been put in place until a permanent solution is implemented.

3b) How many repairs have been completed?

N/A, as above.

I hope this information meets your needs. If you do not understand the information provided or wish to discuss anything further, please feel free to contact us.

Please note, all material provided by the Council in response to your request for information is for your personal, non-commercial use. The Council reserves all rights in the copyright of the information provided. Any unauthorised copying or adaptation of the information without express written confirmation from The Council may constitute an infringement of copyright. Any intention to re-use this information commercially may require consent. Please forward any requests for re-use of information to the FOI officer.

If you are dissatisfied with the information provided in relation to your request, you may make representations to the Information and Transparency Manager. Any such request for an internal review should be made within 40 days from today's date. Correspondence should be addressed to: Foiw@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision at: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

Regards,

FOI and DPA Officer

Foiw@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Please note that our responses were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of release, and have not subsequently been updated. This information should be considered an historical record only.