Shaun Bailey and James Morris are being accused of a ‘concrete cover-up’ after they voted against a Liberal Democrat amendment which would have forced the Government to publish a register of schools and hospitals in Sandwell that are not fit for purpose.

The Lib Dem amendment to the Levelling Up Bill would have forced the Government to publish a full register of schools and hospitals in Sandwell and across the country that are in a state of serious disrepair; including schools and hospitals affected by aero-concrete (RAAC) and asbestos. 

This list would have to be published within one month of the bill passing and regularly updated with up-to-date information. 

In August, the Government found themselves engulfed in a RAAC crisis which forced schools to close days before returning from their summer break. This included two schools in Sandwell, Wood Green Academy in Wednesbury and Brandhall Primary School in Oldbury that were found to include some RAAC in some of their budlings. Initially the Government refused to name the schools affected by these closures, but later bowed to pressure to release the list. 

Despite this, 301 Conservative MPs including Shaun Bailey and James Morris voted this week (Tuesday 17 October) to cover-up the full list of schools and hospitals that could follow suit and hide important information about the state of buildings from the public.  It comes following Rishi Sunak blocking plans to rebuild hospitals that were falling apart and rejecting pleas by Department of Education officials for an extra £900 million a year for school funding in the 2021 Spending Review during his tenure as Chancellor. 

Wikas Khan, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Oldbury, said:

“It’s shameful that Shaun Bailey and James Morris and this Conservative Government has once again chosen to cover-up information from their constituents rather than be transparent. It is also regrettable that Labour MP John Spellor and his colleagues failed to hold the Government to account and abstained on this vote, allowing the Government to hide the truth.

“The government’s refusal to be honest and their continued efforts to hide this information is shocking; in Oldbury, we have a right to know if our schools and hospitals are liable to collapse or filled with toxic asbestos. 

“If Conservative MPs won’t fight for adequate funding to repair our schools and hospitals, the least they can do is tell constituents which buildings are affected. “This is just another example of this Conservative Government taking people in Sandwell for granted and playing them for fools.”