British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, on Sunday (September 3) vowed to “spend what it takes” to deal with the crumbling school buildings and said that the United Kingdom government will move to fix the unsafe infrastructure quickly. This comes days after more than 100 schools across England were forced to shut down over safety concerns as they were found to be made with a certain type of concrete that is prone to collapse.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Extremely quickly’</h2>

In interviews with the British media, on Sunday morning, Hunt said that the majority of the 104 affected schools will be able to operate largely normally. “We will spend what it takes to sort out this problem as quickly as possible,” the British finance minister told BBC.&nbsp;

Last week, the UK government issued an order to around 104 schools or “settings” &nbsp;– out of the more than 20,000 schools in England – that require urgent action after they were said to have been made with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explained-over-100-schools-across-england-forced-to-shut-down-after-being-made-with-raac-concrete-heres-why-631297">Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete or RAAC </a>and found to be at risk of collapse.

The announcement has left the institutes scrambling to make arrangements to continue teaching and angered parents as the order was issued days before the start of the autumn term, as per British media reports.&nbsp;

<h2>Fear&nbsp;of asbestos amid RAAC crisis</h2>

During the interviews on Sunday, Hunt also admitted that the government is also in the midst of responding to the longstanding asbestos problem in schools that is believed to be present in some of the same buildings affected by the RAAC concrete. This could further complicate the matter.&nbsp;

“We have 22,000 schools in the country and there has been since that incident a huge programme going through this Raac/asbestos issue because we want to be absolutely sure that every child is safe,” Hunt told Sky News after being asked if parents could be confident their child would be safe.&nbsp;

<h2>What is the concrete issue&nbsp;in UK about?</h2>

The UK government has also come under fire as they are yet to release the list of the schools affected while British Education Secretary Gillian Keegan previously said that the affected schools would contact parents directly and that “If you don’t hear, don’t worry.”&nbsp;

This has also prompted demands for transparency over the extent of the consequences of RAAC in public buildings over the weekend.&nbsp;

The RAAC is essentially a lightweight form of concrete which according to the UK government’s website was used to build roofs, schools, colleges and other buildings from the 1950s until the mid-1990s, but has since been found to be at risk of collapse.

It has also been described as “80 per cent air” and is said to have a lifespan of around 30 years. Shadow education secretary from the opposition Labour Party Bridget Phillipson took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, “The government has spent the summer sitting on its hands as the concrete crumbles in our schools.” 
 
 
 
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British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, on Sunday (September 3) vowed to “spend what it takes” to deal with the crumbling school buildings and said that the United Kingdom government will move to fix the unsafe infrastructure quickly.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, on Sunday (September 3) vowed to “spend what it takes” to deal with the crumbling school buildings and said that the United Kingdom government will move to fix the unsafe infrastructure quickly. This comes days after more than 100 schools across England were forced to shut down over safety concerns as they were found to be made with a certain type of concrete that is prone to collapse. ‘Extremely quickly’ In interviews with the British media, on Sunday morning, Hunt said that the majority of the 104 affected schools will be able to operate largely normally. “We will spend what it takes to sort out this problem as quickly as possible,” the British finance minister told BBC. Last week, the UK government issued an order to around 104 schools or “settings” – out of the more than 20,000 schools in England – that require urgent action after they were said to have been made with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete or RAAC and found to be at risk of collapse. The announcement has left the institutes scrambling to make arrangements to continue teaching and angered parents as the order was issued days before the start of the autumn term, as per British media reports. Fear of asbestos amid RAAC crisis During the interviews on Sunday, Hunt also admitted that the government is also in the midst of responding to the longstanding asbestos problem in schools that is believed to be present in some of the same buildings affected by the RAAC concrete. This could further complicate the matter. “We have 22,000 schools in the country and there has been since that incident a huge programme going through this Raac/asbestos issue because we want to be absolutely sure that every child is safe,” Hunt told Sky News after being asked if parents could be confident their child would be safe. What is the concrete issue in UK about? The UK government has also come under fire as they are yet to release the list of the schools affected while British Education Secretary Gillian Keegan previously said that the affected schools would contact parents directly and that “If you don’t hear, don’t worry.” This has also prompted demands for transparency over the extent of the consequences of RAAC in public buildings over the weekend. The RAAC is essentially a lightweight form of concrete which according to the UK government’s website was used to build roofs, schools, colleges and other buildings from the 1950s until the mid-1990s, but has since been found to be at risk of collapse. It has also been described as “80 per cent air” and is said to have a lifespan of around 30 years. Shadow education secretary from the opposition Labour Party Bridget Phillipson took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, “The government has spent the summer sitting on its hands as the concrete crumbles in our schools.” WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

RAAC concrete crisis: UK govt vows to ‘spend what it takes’ to deal with crumbling school buildings

British finance minister Rishi Sunak turned his hand to waiting tables at a central London eatery on Wednesday (July 8), shortly after he launched a $625 million "Eat out to help out" discount scheme to boost spending at restaurants, cafes and pubs that have been crippled by COVID-19.

"Eat out to help out" - UK offers diners some tasty morsels

Britain's finance minister, <a href="Sajid Javid">Sajid Javid</a>, resigned on Thursday, just weeks after Brexit and a month before he was due to deliver the government's annual budget.&nbsp;Rishi Sunak replaced Javid.

Sunak, 39, has a business background and previously served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, effectively Javid's number two.

Javid's spokesman confirmed he would be leaving just as Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britain-will-prosper-prime-minister-johnson-sets-out-tough-terms-for-eu-talks-278292">Boris Johnson</a> carried out the first reshuffle of his cabinet since winning a parliamentary majority in December's election.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britain-will-prosper-prime-minister-johnson-sets-out-tough-terms-for-eu-talks-278292">'Britain will prosper': Prime Minister Johnson&nbsp;</a>

The domestic Press Association news agency quoted an unnamed source close to Javid as saying Johnson wanted him to sack his team of aides but he refused.

"He has turned down the job of Chancellor of the Exchequer," the source said.

"The prime minister said he had to fire all his special advisers and replace them with Number 10 special advisers to make it one team.

"The chancellor said no self-respecting minister would accept those terms."

Also see: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/chief-characters-in-britains-brexit-saga-277805">Chief characters in Britain's years-long Brexit saga</a>

Javid's resignation came after Johnson replaced Northern Ireland minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britain-will-prosper-prime-minister-johnson-sets-out-tough-terms-for-eu-talks-278292">Julian Smith</a>, in a surprise move just weeks after he brokered the restoration of power-sharing government in Belfast.

It follows weeks of rumours about tensions between the Treasury and the premier's closest adviser, Dominic Cummings, who has promised a shake-up of government operations.

Javid, 50, is a former high-flying banker who moved into politics, serving as interior minister before replacing Philip Hammond as chancellor of the exchequer in July last year.

Hammond locked horns with Johnson's predecessor <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britain-will-prosper-prime-minister-johnson-sets-out-tough-terms-for-eu-talks-278292">Theresa May</a> over her Brexit strategy.

Britain's finance minister, Sajid Javid, resigned on Thursday, just weeks after Brexit and a month before he was due to deliver the government's annual budget. Rishi Sunak replaced Javid.

Britain's finance minister, Sajid Javid, resigned on Thursday, just weeks after Brexit and a month before he was due to deliver the government's annual budget. Rishi Sunak replaced Javid. Sunak, 39, has a business background and previously served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, effectively Javid's number two. Javid's spokesman confirmed he would be leaving just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson carried out the first reshuffle of his cabinet since winning a parliamentary majority in December's election. Also read: 'Britain will prosper': Prime Minister Johnson The domestic Press Association news agency quoted an unnamed source close to Javid as saying Johnson wanted him to sack his team of aides but he refused. "He has turned down the job of Chancellor of the Exchequer," the source said. "The prime minister said he had to fire all his special advisers and replace them with Number 10 special advisers to make it one team. "The chancellor said no self-respecting minister would accept those terms." Also see: Chief characters in Britain's years-long Brexit saga Javid's resignation came after Johnson replaced Northern Ireland minister Julian Smith, in a surprise move just weeks after he brokered the restoration of power-sharing government in Belfast. It follows weeks of rumours about tensions between the Treasury and the premier's closest adviser, Dominic Cummings, who has promised a shake-up of government operations. Javid, 50, is a former high-flying banker who moved into politics, serving as interior minister before replacing Philip Hammond as chancellor of the exchequer in July last year. Hammond locked horns with Johnson's predecessor Theresa May over her Brexit strategy.

Yorkshire's Rishi Sunak takes over treasury as British finance minister Sajid Javid quits in reshuffle