UK public buildings feared to be at risk of collapse as concrete crumbles

By: Jessica Hill and Rajeev Syal

Ministers launch inquiry into use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)

Ministers have launched a UK government-wide inquiry into the use of crumbling concrete in public buildings following fears that nurseries, offices, shops and leisure facilities are in danger of collapse.

Every Whitehall department has been ordered to assign a civil servant to identify the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) across the £158bn government estate, the Guardian has learned.

Universities | The Guardian
Students in England face ‘negative impact’ from refusal to tie loans to inflation, admits DfE
February 3^rd 2023 at 16:35

Students in England face ‘negative impact’ from refusal to tie loans to inflation, admits DfE

By: Richard Adams Education editor

Raising maintenance loans by only 2.8% means students will have to cut back on food and books, says report

The Department for Education has admitted students in England face a “negative impact” from its refusal to increase support in line with inflation, saying they will have to cut back on food and books as a result.

In an equality analysis of the government’s decision to raise maintenance loans by just 2.8% from autumn, the DfE said student support would have needed to go up by nearly 14% to keep up with the recent rises in the cost of living.

FreshRSS

UK public buildings feared to be at risk of collapse as concrete crumbles

Students in England face ‘negative impact’ from refusal to tie loans to inflation, admits DfE