Labour calls for Worcestershire County Council to remove all asbestos from schools by 2017
Calls are being made for a new operation to remove all asbestos from Worcestershire schools by 2017.
CALLS are being made to remove asbestos “riddled” in nearly 350 Worcestershire schools – with angry politicians saying enough is enough.
The Labour group at Worcestershire County Council says it wants a major operation to be launched to eradicate it entirely by “no later than 2017” due to serious concerns over health risks.
The opposition party says despite challenging the authority on it five months ago, nothing has been done to resolve it.
At the time we revealed how 699 pieces of council property contain the dangerous substance, which includes 177 maintained schools and 160 academies.
You must manage asbestos, if present, if any non-domestic building built or refurbished before 2000.
The current policy is to leave the material as it is and manage around it, unless it is ever likely to be disturbed.
But the Labour group says that stance is “no longer appropriate” given that asbestos kills 1,800 people a year in the UK, with medical experts believing it is yet to peak.
Councillor Peter McDonald, Labour group leader, said: “This is not a problem of the past but a problem of the present, and something needs to be done now.
“It is a gross dereliction of duty to children and school staff that this silent killer remains in our schools.”
Councillor Paul Denham, Labour’s children and families spokesman, added: “Unless they can produce solid evidence the remaining asbestos in schools is absolutely safe, we will press for all asbestos to be removed by specialist contractors.”
A motion on rooting out all the asbestos in schools as soon as possible, but ‘no later than 2017’, is set to be voted on at the next full council meeting on Thursday, May 12.
A council spokesman defended the figures by saying “asbestos itself is not dangerous”.
He said: “Asbestos only becomes dangerous where it gets damaged over time or is disturbed.
“Provided such materials are undamaged and not disturbed they present a low risk to public health.
“The majority of asbestos in schools has already been removed or encapsulated.
“What remains is in either places that are difficult to access, and therefore not a hazard, or part of the structure of the building – removing the latter would probably entail demolition and rebuild.
“It is and remains council policy to remove materials that are likely to be damaged or disturbed, this is routinely done during major refurbishment or maintenance works.”
He added that the authority uses guidance from the Health and Safety Executive and Department for Education.
Last year the authority revealed how libraries, offices and other bits of council property had asbestos.
People falling victim to lethal diseases from it rarely get symptoms until between 25 and 50 years later.
Source: Evesham Journal
