Millions of homeowners are already facing huge rises in mortgage payments after the Bank raised base rates to a 15-year high of 5.25 per cent last month. The surge in prices also increases the risk that the Bank of England will raise interest rates for a 15th consecutive time when the Monetary Policy Committee meets later this month. The revival of inflation could be the final blow to dwindling Tory hopes that Mr Hunt will use his Autumn Statement on the economy to cut taxes. The Chancellor is expected to issue a public warning about the need to intensify efforts to curb inflation in the coming days. Sources said increased consumption fuelled in part by generous one-off payments to public sector workers had helped drive up prices again. Inflation fell sharply in July to 6.8 per cent, raising hopes that Rishi Sunak will hit his target of reducing it to below 5.4 per cent by the end of the year – half the level it was in January.īut Treasury analysts believe it will now rise back above 7 per cent when August’s figures are published later this month before falling again later this year. The Chancellor is said to be concerned by internal Treasury forecasts suggesting inflation is starting to rear its head again after months of decline. The Department for Education was contacted for comment. The Government has assigned over £15billion since 2015 to keep schools in good working order, including £1.8billion committed for 2023-24. The collapse of Singlewell primary school in Gravesend, Kent, in 2018 sparked concerns over the material. If the trend is matched, it means of the 8,600 schools yet to complete the survey, around 774 would be at risk.

Of these, 572 (9 per cent) were identified as potentially containing it. It is focusing on around 14,900 schools with buildings constructed between 19, a report published by the National Audit Office in June found.Īs of May 2023, 42 per cent of these schools had told the department they had completed work to identify the concrete. The DfE began sending responsible bodies a questionnaire asking whether their buildings contained Raac in March last year. Guidance tells staff to check flat roofs, floors and walls for concrete that is often described as looking like an ‘Aero bar’.Īnd that if they find it, they must ‘appoint an appropriately qualified building surveyor or structural engineer’ to confirm its presence. Meanwhile, school and college bosses have been urged to inspect their buildings for Raac. ‘What we are seeing here are the very real consequences of a decade of swingeing cuts to spending on school buildings,’ he added. Paul Whiteman, of school leaders’ union NAHT, said the timing could not be worse. ‘But to wait until the 11th hour as schools are preparing for a new academic year will create turmoil for thousands of families, and this could just be the tip of the iceberg.’ Mike Short, of the Unison trade union, said: ‘Parents, pupils and staff will be relieved the issue is finally being taken seriously. The decision to close the buildings on the eve of the school year sparked outrage from experts and unions who warned it could just be the ‘tip of the iceberg’. ‘The number one priority of education is to make sure the children are safe.’ ‘You can’t expect teachers and heads to know the fabric of the building.

Chris McGovern, a former headteacher and education adviser to Margaret Thatcher, said: ‘It’s a ticking time-bomb and when that bomb goes off it will be a disaster.

High as a kite never sober