In a joint letter from Group Leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain and Deputy Leader Cllr Rachel Bentley, Southwark Liberal Democrats have written to the Chief Executive of Southwark Council urging an immediate review of Council owned buildings and homes built between the 1950s and 1980s, after the Government warned some concrete buildings are at risk of collapse.

104 schools in England have been told to close buildings because they are at risk of collapse due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The Council confirmed that none of the schools in Southwark are affected, but both the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities and the Local Government Association have warned that the problem is not only prevalent in schools. Estimates suggest that 5-10% of council-owned buildings built in the 1950s-1980s could be affected, including social housing.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an urgent review of council owned properties, as well as working with key institutions such as courts, hospitals, and housing associations to ensure all public buildings are safe.

Cllr Rachel Bentley, Deputy Leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrats, said:

“The truth is that we should never have reached this point. The Government has known about this crumbling concrete for years, but time and again has denied local authorities the money needed to maintain schools, homes and other public buildings properly.

We cannot wait for another disaster to happen before acting such as we saw with the cladding scandal following the Grenfell tragedy. If buildings are unsafe, we need to know where they are and feel confident that remedial work will be undertaken promptly.

As we’ve seen too often, the Westminster Government has abdicated their responsibility again here. Southwark Council must step up and lead the response locally. We urge them to undertake an urgent review of all Council owned buildings built between the 1950s and 1980s and publish the findings. The safety of our residents must come first.”