Children and patients deserve to be safe in schools and hospitals

Independent

2 days ago

Children and patients deserve to be safe and comfortable in schools and hospitals across England, ministers have said as the Government set out funding allocations for building repairs.
Around £1.2 billion – part of funding packages announced in last year's autumn budget – will be spent on repairing crumbling schools and hospitals across the country, the Government confirmed.
Pupils at 656 schools and sixth forms will benefit from a share of this year's £470 million Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), used for projects like fixing crumbling roofs and removing asbestos.
More than 400 hospitals, mental health units and ambulance sites will be handed £750 million to tackle problems such as leaky pipes, poor ventilation and electrical issues.
Projects to deliver improvements to schools and hospital buildings will be delivered during the 2025/26 financial year, with the first upgrades to begin this summer, the Government has said.
More than 100 schools, nurseries and colleges across England were forced to shut down days before the autumn term in 2023 amid concerns that classrooms and other buildings containing reinforced autoclaved concrete (Raac) were unsafe.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 'The defining image of the school estate under the previous government was children sitting under steel props to stop crumbling concrete falling on their heads. It simply isn't good enough.
'Parents expect their children to learn in a safe, warm environment. It's what children deserve and it is what we are delivering.
'This investment is about more than just buildings – it's about showing children that their education matters, their futures matter, and this Government is determined to give them the best possible start in life.'
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'A decade and a half of underinvestment left hospitals crumbling, with burst pipes flooding emergency departments, faulty electrical systems shutting down operating theatres, and mothers giving birth in outdated facilities that lack basic dignity.
'We are on a mission to rebuild our NHS through investment and modernisation.
'Patients and staff deserve to be in buildings that are safe, comfortable and fit for purpose. Through our Plan for Change, we will make our NHS fit for the future.'
A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) in January estimated it would cost around £13.8 billion to address the repairs and remedial work backlog for hospitals and other NHS properties in England, and an additional £13.8 billion to address the maintenance backlog across the school estate.
The Department for Education has confirmed a £2.1 billion investment for the school estate for 2025/26, almost £300 million more than the previous year.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, described the funding boost for school buildings as a 'welcome start'.
But he added: 'It is clear that much more Government investment and a long-term plan is needed to restore the school estate to at least a satisfactory condition.'
Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The wider problem is that there is a massive £13.8 billion maintenance backlog across the school estate and we are still nowhere near the level of investment needed to address this.
'The fact that schools and sixth form colleges have to bid for funding for urgent repairs and maintenance is in itself a sign of the inadequacy of overall investment and is effectively an annual exercise in papering over the cracks.'