IN the end it came down to a matter of “timing and luck” that staff and pupils of 17 schools across Edinburgh were not killed by falling walls in buildings constructed under a private finance initiative.
Some had thought that Professor John Cole’s report on the scandal, which resulted in school closures, might be a whitewash, but the delayed document offered devastating criticism of just about everyone involved in the project to build the schools under the so-called PPP1 programme.
The Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP) of private firms which oversaw the programme comes under particular fire, as does main builder Miller Construction and the City Council, with a “lack of scrutiny” identified as one of the main failings.
There is no direct criticism of councillors who approved the programme during a period when the council was run by the Labour Party which was using private finance initiatives widely, encouraged by then chancellor Gordon Brown.
The 250-page report contains a chilling sequence about the initial wall collapse at Oxgangs School in January last year which happened an hour before the school opened.
Cole states: “The fact no injuries or fatalities to children resulted from the collapse of the gable wall at Oxgangs School was a matter of timing and luck.
“Approximately nine tonnes of masonry fell on an area where children could easily have been standing or passing through.
“One does not require much imagination to think of what the consequences might have been if it had happened an hour or so later.”
The wall collapsed, says the report, because there were not enough wall ties, the wrong type of ties were used, and wall cavities were not uniform.
Similar faults, including widespread poor bricklaying, were found in 17 PPP1 schools across the city and 8000 pupils had to be diverted to keep their education going – a “remarkable feat” according to Cole.
A major criticism concerned the loss of key documents about the project and a “lack of scrutiny” – neither ESP nor the council had a clerk of works inspecting progress, and Cole noted: “There was an over-reliance on the part of the council, without adequate evidence, that others in the project structure, including those building the schools, would comprehensively fulfil this essential role.”
The issue of inadequate fire prevention materials was also raised in the report which states: “It is surprising that ESP did not take a more pro- active approach at an earlier stage to establish the condition of fire- stopping in the PPP1 schools.”
The report has massive implications for schools and the construction industry, especially given that Cole specifically questioned whether the drive for faster, lower-cost construction is to the detriment of quality and safety.
The Minister for Housing and Local Government, Kevin Stewart, said: “I have again written to local authorities highlighting the points and recommendations this report raises around compliance and fire-stopping.
“I have underlined the importance of adhering to building regulations, technical standards and the inspection processes which are in place to protect the public.
“Building on work already under- taken by Scottish Futures Trust, robust guidance will also be provided to public-sector bodies in Scotland on the findings of the report to ensure these are immediately reflected within their asset inspection and management strategies. I have been clear with local authorities that any instance of non-compliance is completely unacceptable. Council chief executive Andrew Kerr said: “The report pulls no punches and makes clear what went wrong, the reasons for it and where responsibility lay. Clearly there are lessons for the council and I will now be drawing up an action plan to take our recommendations forward to ensure everyone can have confidence in the safety of all of our buildings.”
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