NPR

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:31 am Surely even diehard Tories can't fall for the "But Labour! But Corbyn!" line on this

Government 'halved funding for rebuilding schools'

Jonathan Slater, who was the top civil servant at the Department for Education from May 2016 to August 2020, tells the Today programme a survey of schools was carried out about 10 years ago and a second was commissioned in his time. These showed the the scale of the rebuilding programme needed.

According to that, 300 to 400 schools needed to be repaired per year "because of the system the schools were built with was post-war concrete and it was only supposed to live for 30-40 years".

When they went to the Treasury, they got funding to rebuild 100 schools per year.

"It was frustrating when your priority was safety," he says. Slater says the education department saw the benefits of the program but "the challenge was to face the chancellor".

In 2021, they wanted to be realistic and asked the government to double the 100 schools to 200. "We know 300 to 400 needed, but the actual ask in 2021 was to double the 100 to 200. I thought we'd get it but the actual decision made in 2021 was to halve down from 100 a year to 50 year," he adds.

And he reminds the programme that the chancellor then was Rishi Sunak.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66701626

Which is the line the out of her depth Gillian Keegan is using in her interviews this morning. She is the 7th Secretary of State for Education in the past 4 years and possibly the most useless since Williamson!!!!

A government (and opposition) who won't commit to funding schools at risk of collapse. What a country.

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:47 am A government (and opposition) who won't commit to funding schools at risk of collapse. What a country.

Not only won't fund the building remediation, they won't fund any extra busing of students, or the rental of prefabs etc. It all has to come from existing funding.

Banana Monarchy !

Didn't they learn anything from Aberfan?

Look we have basically honest bob, 3 for a fiver from down the market running the country, for all the spivvy honest bobs.

So of course they put off repairs, and made it a national emergency...and 400 times more expensive.

They love to profit and capitalise from a contrived national emergency and state money.

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:47 am A government (and opposition) who won't commit to funding schools at risk of collapse. What a country.

Education Education Education

sturginho wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 8:22 am

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:47 am A government (and opposition) who won't commit to funding schools at risk of collapse. What a country.

Education Education Education

Nah, they learned from the orange traitor & brexshit that people with higher education don't fall for their lies, so their takeaway from that was they'd do better electorally if they deny people education opportunities !

SaintK wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:44 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:31 am Surely even diehard Tories can't fall for the "But Labour! But Corbyn!" line on this

Spoiler

Show

Government 'halved funding for rebuilding schools'

Jonathan Slater, who was the top civil servant at the Department for Education from May 2016 to August 2020, tells the Today programme a survey of schools was carried out about 10 years ago and a second was commissioned in his time. These showed the the scale of the rebuilding programme needed.

According to that, 300 to 400 schools needed to be repaired per year "because of the system the schools were built with was post-war concrete and it was only supposed to live for 30-40 years".

When they went to the Treasury, they got funding to rebuild 100 schools per year.

"It was frustrating when your priority was safety," he says. Slater says the education department saw the benefits of the program but "the challenge was to face the chancellor".

In 2021, they wanted to be realistic and asked the government to double the 100 schools to 200. "We know 300 to 400 needed, but the actual ask in 2021 was to double the 100 to 200. I thought we'd get it but the actual decision made in 2021 was to halve down from 100 a year to 50 year," he adds.

And he reminds the programme that the chancellor then was Rishi Sunak.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66701626

Which is the line the out of her depth Gillian Keegan is using in her interviews this morning. She is the 7th Secretary of State for Education in the past 4 years and possibly the most useless since Williamson!!!!

So instead of getting out and about on the airwaves over the weekend to reassure parents and teachers, Keegan wasted her time and our money doing this!!!

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:58 am

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:47 am A government (and opposition) who won't commit to funding schools at risk of collapse. What a country.

Not only won't fund the building remediation, they won't fund any extra busing of students, or the rental of prefabs etc. It all has to come from existing funding.

Banana Monarchy !

Really is a pisstake isn't is. What country do labour and the conservatives want us to be if they think we care more about the nebulous term of fiscal discipline than having kids go to a safe building for their schooling??

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 9:41 am

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:58 am

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:47 am A government (and opposition) who won't commit to funding schools at risk of collapse. What a country.

Not only won't fund the building remediation, they won't fund any extra busing of students, or the rental of prefabs etc. It all has to come from existing funding.

Banana Monarchy !

Really is a pisstake isn't is. What country do labour and the conservatives want us to be if they think we care more about the nebulous term of fiscal discipline than having kids go to a safe building for their schooling??

Remind me again how many billion they've approved to spend on the remediation on the Palace of Westminster, to stop it falling in on their heads, >£20 BILLION !!!

I am quite enjoying watching Rishi turning from his smiley, matey, I'm one of you image he tries so hard at, to No1 uber cunt

Couple of gems in Rory Stewart's book. David Cameron's knowledge of Afghanistan "would have made a good undergraduate PPE essay" and Steve Hilton (Cameron's adviser) was found staring at a map of Scotland saying "Fuck me, look how big Scotland is. This is just fucking mad".

High calibre people in positions of power.

The usual "not me, guv!" evasion we've come to expect

'Utterly wrong' to blame me for RAAC crisis, says Sunak

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says it's "utterly wrong" to blame him for the failure to tackle RAAC in schools earlier.

Asked whether he would like to apologise after it was said he cut the schools rebuilding budget while chancellor, Sunak pointed to his 10-year program which he put in funds for 50 schools a year to be refurbished.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been asked about the timing of school closures, just before the new academic year is due to start.

"Of course I know the timing is frustrating," Sunak said.

"New information came to light relatively recently," he added, and said the government acted "as swiftly as possible".

Earlier we heard from Jonathan Slater, the former top civil servant at the Department for Education, who said early indications showed up to 400 schools required refurbishment each year.

Slater directly accused Sunak of deciding to cut the fund by 50% for 2021 - meaning 50 schools would be refurbished or rebuilt. Sunak rejected that claim - saying it was in line with what the government had done previously.

Sunak said around 95% of schools are not affected by RAAC, and of those that are, often it is "limited to a single classroom" that requires work.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66701626

Biffer wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 10:17 am Couple of gems in Rory Stewart's book. David Cameron's knowledge of Afghanistan "would have made a good undergraduate PPE essay" and Steve Hilton (Cameron's adviser) was found staring at a map of Scotland saying "Fuck me, look how big Scotland is. This is just fucking mad".

High calibre people in positions of power.

One of my running themes on this thread is that the UK is now run by morons a lot of time. Just shockingly stupid people, many with no excuse having had the best education possible. It's really bad when you can point at a future UK PM over a year in advance (Truss) say "that person is a fucking moron", then say "the moron Tory members will pick her", then say "fuck she's going to blow everything up" ... it all being not much of a big call really, and it all happens.

The really interesting thing, is if you then come to a logical conclusion "UK institutions don't seem to be functioning as they used to, they're now selecting for total morons, trying to change the people/society to fit the institutions is unlikely to work, maybe the UK should change some institutions ... the Lords, the electoral system, the divisions of powers between layers of government". No one wants to hear it. Something something tradition, something something unwritten constitution that is agile and adaptive but must not under any circumstances be used to change anything. Then the claim "it wouldn't make any difference anyway".

There's just total inertia. Lots of waffle and anyone with power demanding everything stays the exact same.

This was in the FT today, the UK is running out of water. There's only some vague plan to stop this happening. I suspect no one with a brain bothers to come up with solutions, because they know none of it will be implemented, so there's no point.
https://www.ft.com/content/19caeb90-b5c ... 69d4c48d53

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 10:10 am I am quite enjoying watching Rishi turning from his smiley, matey, I'm one of you image he tries so hard at, to No1 uber cunt

The 'don't you dare blame me for financial decisions when I was chancellor' line is pathetic, what happened to his focus on accountability?!!

We can see from the Williamson bullying enquiry outcome how his 'integrity' claims aren't standing up.

A rich conservative with little accountability and integrity - probably describes 95% of them. Just some are more callous, batshit crazy or two-faced than others.

The country could really do with a general election.

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 10:08 am

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 9:41 am

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:58 am

Not only won't fund the building remediation, they won't fund any extra busing of students, or the rental of prefabs etc. It all has to come from existing funding.

Banana Monarchy !

Really is a pisstake isn't is. What country do labour and the conservatives want us to be if they think we care more about the nebulous term of fiscal discipline than having kids go to a safe building for their schooling??

Remind me again how many billion they've approved to spend on the remediation on the Palace of Westminster, to stop it falling in on their heads, >£20 BILLION !!!

Well, not enough as the palace of Westminster is also farked.

salanya wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 10:53 am

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 10:10 am I am quite enjoying watching Rishi turning from his smiley, matey, I'm one of you image he tries so hard at, to No1 uber cunt

The 'don't you dare blame me for financial decisions when I was chancellor' line is pathetic, what happened to his focus on accountability?!!

We can see from the Williamson bullying enquiry outcome how his 'integrity' claims aren't standing up.

A rich conservative with little accountability and integrity - probably describes 95% of them. Just some are more callous, batshit crazy or two-faced than others.

The country could really do with a general election.

Yup, we desperately need an election, it's so obviously a government that has lost it's way completely and is doing some real damage.

Pincher loses his appeal against Commons suspension for being a sex case.

Slick wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 11:16 am
Yup, we desperately need an election, it's so obviously a government that has lost it's way completely and is doing some real damage.

Their incompetence for the job should be clear to even their staunchest supporters now. Even if they had a good idea and the money to implement it, they would cock-it up and hurt someone vulnerable in the process.

Thank you, Gillian!

Another good day/weekend for the Tory twats:

- Williamson told to apologise for bullying texts
- Pincher by name etc loses appeal and will mean by-election
- MP selected to stand for Pinchers seat in next election refuses to stand down from their current red wall constituency meaning Tories will need to find someone to stand as a candidate who is willing to stand down at next General Election
- Keegan sounding like a twat on tv and radio and has completely lost control of the school closures issue - No10 disown some of her off air comments
- Head Boy Sunak now claims 'its unfair to blame me for cutting the school repairs budget when I was Chancellor' - boo hoo hoo!
- Mad Nad's seat will be up for by-election next. month and she is claiming No10 have forced the delayed publication of her book until after the by-election
- Hunt promises to spend what it takes to keep schools open only for Treasury to clarify that most of the funding required will have to come from existing education capital budgets
- Ex senior Education civil servant tells BBC that between 300-400 schools pa needed cash for rebuilding etc but Treasury was only willing to fund 100pa and then Sunak as Chancellor cut this to 50 pa
- numbers of small boats and small boat people continue to rise with Saturday seeing highest figures of this year
- Braverman decides now is the time to wage war on woke police claiming they are politically biased
- Facebook grifter and man of many faces Shapps takes on fifth new Gov job this year as Defence Secretary ... good god!

This shitfest of a Gov have lost control and its time they were gone!

dpedin wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 1:28 pm Another good day/weekend for the Tory twats:

- Head Boy Sunak now claims 'its unfair to blame me for cutting the school repairs budget when I was Chancellor' - boo hoo hoo!
- Ex senior Education civil servant tells BBC that between 300-400 schools pa needed cash for rebuilding etc but Treasury was only willing to fund 100pa and then Sunak as Chancellor cut this to 50 pa

And now they are claiming this was nothing more than an aside in "the bigger conversation was per pupil funding and teachers' pay"
So then let's see the official minutes, I mean there were minutes - right?

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 1:17 pm

Thank you, Gillian!

.........for destroying this country piece by piece.
Classless piece of shit.

Greg Hands has pushed out his regular Tweet with the "Sorry there's no money" letter from when Labour left office, as if this is the greatest political revelation since the Hitler Diaries.

SaintK wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 1:58 pm

I like neeps wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 1:17 pm

Thank you, Gillian!

.........for destroying this country piece by piece.
Classless piece of shit.

...... for exposing to even the most blinkered of the population what worthless pieces of shit the Tories are, who prefer to let building collapse on the heads of children than admit their ideology is bullshit.

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 2:19 pm Greg Hands has pushed out his regular Tweet with the "Sorry there's no money" letter from when Labour left office, as if this is the greatest political revelation since the Hitler Diaries.

That Hands move has become legitimately funny. How oblivious he is, how shallow he is, how little he has to offer, how he thinks it's some killer move, he may as well Tweet "I am a moron".

Who is he even appealing to? Who does he think is nodding sagely along to this? The Tories are worse than Blair/Brown, to such an astonishing degree the UK is about to go back to New Labour. Which votes is he trying to win with a "can't trust Labour with the economy" message? People that will vote Tory no matter what until they die?

The letter itself was clearly a joke and intended to remain private, it wasn't unknown for letters like this to be left for those coming in when a government was replaced. But the Tories have hammered so hard on this one for so long, I can't see anyone bothering in future. Cameron used it in the 2015 GE, May used it in a confidence vote (2019?), Hands using it weekly in response to everything is the natural end point. Hilarious.

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 2:19 pm Greg Hands has pushed out his regular Tweet with the "Sorry there's no money" letter from when Labour left office, as if this is the greatest political revelation since the Hitler Diaries.

Is it not now the year 2023? I thought the Tories had had 13 years to firmly take control of the government, implement their policies and put the country on a sound financial footing.

robmatic wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 3:00 pm firmly take control of the government, implement their policies and put the country on a sound financial footing.

2 out of 3 ain't bad.

I think it shows just how far down the road we've travelled that successive scandals that would have led to resignations and possibly even the Government falling are just met with, "Fuck you, we're not ashamed, or sorry, and we're going nowhere."

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 3:37 pm I think it shows just how far down the road we've travelled that successive scandals that would have led to resignations and possibly even the Government falling are just met with, "Fuck you, we're not ashamed, or sorry, and we're going nowhere."

When you are knee deep in the blood of 330 thousand people, from Austerity...and responsible for the abject misery and penury of millions, you probably kinda think absolutely nothing you do matters anymore.

Hal Jordan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 3:37 pm I think it shows just how far down the road we've travelled that successive scandals that would have led to resignations and possibly even the Government falling are just met with, "Fuck you, we're not ashamed, or sorry, and we're going nowhere."

We'll all living in Trump Town. Lie, bluster and stand your ground in the face of over-whelming evidence that you're a useless cnut.

Politics 101 in the 21 century.

This is going to fuck off so many people having to take time off to look after their kids.
Surely the Tories need to just fuck off.
Useless utterly useless cnuts

C69 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 9:19 pm This is going to fuck off so many people having to take time off to look after their kids.
Surely the Tories need to just fuck off.
Useless utterly useless cnuts

Can't they just leave them with their Nannies ?





By the time the final tally for all this comes thru, it'd probably be cheaper to send all these kids to Eton, or Winchester, or any of the other public schools.

"...should be investigated..."

Three major water companies illegally discharged sewage hundreds of times last year on days when it was not raining, a BBC investigation suggests.

The practice, known as "dry spilling", is banned because it can lead to higher concentrations of sewage in waterways.

Thames, Wessex and Southern Water appear to have collectively released sewage in dry spills for 3,500 hours in 2022 - in breach of their permits.

Water UK, the industry body, said the spills "should be investigated".

The BBC requested the same data from the other water companies in England, which said they could not respond due to being under an Environment Agency (EA) criminal investigation.

Releasing sewage into rivers and seas is allowed in the UK to prevent pipe systems becoming overwhelmed - but it has to have been raining.

Without rainwater the sewage is likely to be less diluted - leading to build-ups of algae which produce toxins "that can be fatal to pets and pose a health risk to swimmers", says Dr Linda May, a water ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Discharging in dry conditions is therefore illegal under environmental law.
.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told BBC News: 'It does seem extraordinary on the hottest day of the year that there may be releases. The EA is the regulator they are the people who do the detailed investigation of why that has happened."

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 9:41 pm

C69 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 04, 2023 9:19 pm This is going to fuck off so many people having to take time off to look after their kids.
Surely the Tories need to just fuck off.
Useless utterly useless cnuts

Can't they just leave them with their Nannies ?





By the time the final tally for all this comes thru, it'd probably be cheaper to send all these kids to Eton, or Winchester, or any of the other public schools.

Well, they are charities, perhaps they could exercise their vast funds to help.

The Tory ministers attempting to defend the government over RAAC are being rinsed.
After Keegan said her government colleagues had sat on their arses for years.
This is becoming quite farcical.blaming everyone and seemingly forgetting that they have been in power for over a decade.
Own it FFS.

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:23 am "...should be investigated..."

Three major water companies illegally discharged sewage hundreds of times last year on days when it was not raining, a BBC investigation suggests.

The practice, known as "dry spilling", is banned because it can lead to higher concentrations of sewage in waterways.

Thames, Wessex and Southern Water appear to have collectively released sewage in dry spills for 3,500 hours in 2022 - in breach of their permits.

Water UK, the industry body, said the spills "should be investigated".

The BBC requested the same data from the other water companies in England, which said they could not respond due to being under an Environment Agency (EA) criminal investigation.

Releasing sewage into rivers and seas is allowed in the UK to prevent pipe systems becoming overwhelmed - but it has to have been raining.

Without rainwater the sewage is likely to be less diluted - leading to build-ups of algae which produce toxins "that can be fatal to pets and pose a health risk to swimmers", says Dr Linda May, a water ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Discharging in dry conditions is therefore illegal under environmental law.
.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told BBC News: 'It does seem extraordinary on the hottest day of the year that there may be releases. The EA is the regulator they are the people who do the detailed investigation of why that has happened."

So the three that responded all admit they have done it and should be investigated. All of the others are already under criminal investigation for it.

English water is an utterly broken system.

Biffer wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:13 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:23 am "...should be investigated..."

Three major water companies illegally discharged sewage hundreds of times last year on days when it was not raining, a BBC investigation suggests.

The practice, known as "dry spilling", is banned because it can lead to higher concentrations of sewage in waterways.

Thames, Wessex and Southern Water appear to have collectively released sewage in dry spills for 3,500 hours in 2022 - in breach of their permits.

Water UK, the industry body, said the spills "should be investigated".

The BBC requested the same data from the other water companies in England, which said they could not respond due to being under an Environment Agency (EA) criminal investigation.

Releasing sewage into rivers and seas is allowed in the UK to prevent pipe systems becoming overwhelmed - but it has to have been raining.

Without rainwater the sewage is likely to be less diluted - leading to build-ups of algae which produce toxins "that can be fatal to pets and pose a health risk to swimmers", says Dr Linda May, a water ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Discharging in dry conditions is therefore illegal under environmental law.
.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told BBC News: 'It does seem extraordinary on the hottest day of the year that there may be releases. The EA is the regulator they are the people who do the detailed investigation of why that has happened."

So the three that responded all admit they have done it and should be investigated. All of the others are already under criminal investigation for it.

English water is an utterly broken system.

But it's nothing to do with the Environment Secretary of course, who's enjoying her time earning Cabinet Office pay while doing the square root of f--k all

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:23 am

Biffer wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:13 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:23 am "...should be investigated..."

So the three that responded all admit they have done it and should be investigated. All of the others are already under criminal investigation for it.

English water is an utterly broken system.

But it's nothing to do with the Environment Secretary of course, who's enjoying her time earning Cabinet Office pay while doing the square root of f--k all

EA falls under her remit as it reports in to Defra.

Biffer wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:40 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:23 am

Biffer wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:13 am

So the three that responded all admit they have done it and should be investigated. All of the others are already under criminal investigation for it.

English water is an utterly broken system.

But it's nothing to do with the Environment Secretary of course, who's enjoying her time earning Cabinet Office pay while doing the square root of f--k all

EA falls under her remit as it reports in to Defra.

As does OFWAT

Birmingham Council (Labour controlled since 2012) have issued a s. 114 Notice, meaning it is to all intents and purposes bankrupt. Only spending on essential services. Causes would appear to be

Equal pay liability for possible £1.1bn for failure to pay equally to men and women in comparable roles over a 13 year period, having already had to pay out £1bn over a decade ago (one would have hoped they'd learned their lesson first time around)

Costs of IT implementation fuck up - standard stuff.

Costs of adult social care, housing crisis and children's services , which have all gone up and up and up.

Edit: Plus whopping slashes in Government funding - I've seen 77.8% decrease quoted by a Birmingham Business School blog, dated 01 September 2023, analysing the hole.in the Council's finances, so they saw it coming.

Won't be the last Council of either colour to crash and burn, I fear.