Freedom of information response
Email from the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Department of Education
An email was sent from the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Department of Education on December 5 2018 to all local authorities to “draw attention” to a “building failure” involving a property constructed with RAAC. It suggested steps that local authorities should take the following steps:
"(1) identify any properties constructed using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and validate the potential risk appropriately
(2) consider and monitor the possible impact of reduced maintenance regimes on the condition of your property portfolio, in particular where RAAC is used."
1. a) Please disclose any action taken and/or findings made as a result of this email regarding point 1. This could include any surveys, studies or reports commissioned to identify properties constructed using RAAC and their results, including which properties were found to contain RAAC, and the potential risk that was assessed.
b) Please disclose any action taken and/or findings made as a result of this email regarding point 2. This could include any buildings in your property portfolio that you identified as having been built with RAAC that had “reduced maintenance regimes”.
2. Please disclose copies of any reports, surveys, briefings or studies concerning the presence of RAAC in your property portfolio after this email from December 5 2018.
3. If you replied to this email from the LGA, or forwarded it to another member of staff internally, please disclose the subsequent email chains.
4. Please disclose any other actions taken as a result of this email, if not included above.
Thurrock Council currently have no identified RAAC within its portfolio that represents a threat to life safety.
The Council are currently responsible for 785 assets (excluding housing stock)
The Council have recently compiled a list of properties which potentially fall in to the criteria set by the government and are now embarking on a programme to survey all of these properties to determine if RAAC is present. From these survey’s any remedial actions will be documented in relation to RAAC.