https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66705175

<quotes>

The government cut the schools' repair budget despite a warning of a "critical risk to life" from crumbling concrete, a former top civil servant has said.

Mr Slater - who was permanent secretary at the Department for Education between May 2016 and August 2020 - said investigations had led civil servants to recommend between 300 to 400 schools needed repairs each year and the department then requested Treasury funding to cover 200 a year.

"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 said.

There was a time when former permanent secretaries like Jonathan Slater kept silent - but he is one of a number forced to leave under this government, instead of ministers resigning when mistakes were made

The prime minister said it was "utterly and completely wrong" to blame him for failing to fund the programme.

</quotes>

I don't expect many are going to entertain Sunak's notion that he's not to blame.

He accepts he decided funding would only be provided for 50 schools a year when 300 to 400 needed helping. But he's not to blame for his own decision ?

And I don't think anyone will believe him when he pretends the timing is so bad because the problem was only recently identified. The issue was identified, brought to the government's attention, years ago.

Let's not forget, that during his leadership campaign, Sunak insisted affluent tory areas should receive government assistance while poorer areas, who actually needed it, could go fuck themselves.

On Mon, 4 Sep 2023 15:00:33 +0100
The Happy Hippy <the.happy.hippy.nntp@ntlworld.invalid> wrote:

> I don't expect many are going to entertain Sunak's notion that he's
> not to blame.
> And I don't think anyone will believe him when he pretends the timing
> is so bad because the problem was only recently identified.

And his claim that 95% of schools are not affected can only be seen as spin - 5% means thousands are.

That the government has tried to keep secret which schools are being forced to close or take urgent remedial action suggest the problem is much greater than they are prepared to admit to.

Never trust a tory. Except to fuck things up.