Over 700 council buildings in Bucks contain asbestos, new research uncovers

New findings shows that over 700 public buildings in Buckinghamshire still contain asbestos.

Law firm, Irwin Mitchell, discovered the findings after submitting a Freedom of Information request to the local authority.

Irwin Mitchell specialises in assisting people who have been exposed to a hazardous substance.

Many of those are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of the lining of the lungs, or asbestosis, a chronic lung disease, as a consequence of their exposure.

Bucks Council was one of 20 local authorities that were contacted as part of the lawyers’ report and one of just six to provide full data to the company.

Out of the 20 councils, Buckinghamshire was found to have the second-most buildings still containing asbestos after Bournemouth.

In total, 712 buildings contained asbestos in Bucks and 133 of them were schools. But the council is also top for having the most asbestos surveys carried out, with 653 undertaken in the past five years. The council has removed asbestos from 75 buildings in the same timeframe.

In April 2022, MPs recommended a 40-year deadline for the removal of asbestos from the estimated 300,000 public and commercial buildings that still contain it. However, the report from the Work and Pensions Committee was rejected by the Government.

Based on its data, Irwin Mitchell believes that if removals continued at the current rate, only around 2,300 of the 4,500 buildings across the 20 councils would have asbestos removed within the next 40 years.

The legal experts believe if the data provided is repeated around the country, it’s estimated that across the 387 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales combined, there are around 87,000 public buildings containing asbestos.

Adrian Budgen, an asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Most people associate asbestos with historical exposure in factories or construction work, but these latest figures highlight the extensive risk still posed by the deadly substance across the UK in everyday buildings used by the public.

“At Irwin Mitchell, sadly, we come across families and individuals affected by asbestos most often after coming into contact with it in their workplace, and to have it confirmed that it’s not yet been eradicated from a large number of public buildings is incredibly concerning.

“One of the main problem areas is revealed to be schools, which are obviously densely populated with pupils, teachers and other school workers for long hours at a time. It’s extremely worrying that so many still contain asbestos, essentially putting children at risk every day.

“Whilst some of the asbestos may not yet be deemed harmful, once it’s disturbed or in a state of disrepair it can quickly become very dangerous, and with many of our public buildings being old and maintenance budgets being stretched, it’s a huge concern.”

Councillor John Chilver told The Bucks Herald in response: "Buckinghamshire Council has a wide and varied built estate and has duties placed upon it regarding asbestos by law, currently under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and it is important to note that the regulations together with HSE guidance both state that if existing asbestos containing materials are in good condition and are not likely to be damaged, they may be left in place; their condition monitored and managed to ensure that they are not disturbed. The council manages its portfolio in accordance with these statutory requirements.

"Buckinghamshire Council became a unitary council in April 2020 which saw the amalgamation of five councils. Buckinghamshire Council now has some 750 premises within its' built estate, of which 712 have had some asbestos detected in them. It has also conducted over 75 asbestos removal projects on its premises in recent times and will continue to do so where it is required because there is a project or development requirement or presents a risk of harm. However, where recorded materials do not represent a risk by virtue of their type or location, for example roof sheets, and can remain in situ safely with regard to the requirements of statutory regulations, then the materials will be left pending more significant refurbishment or planned maintenance work.

"We are aware that an FOI request has been put out to 20 leading councils and note that Buckinghamshire Council was one of only six that provided a comprehensive response, with some councils not having any returns. We also note that Buckinghamshire Council has the third highest data for removal of asbestos in buildings.

"It is difficult to interpret any meaningful data from the information provided by those councils that did respond, without knowing the total number of buildings with asbestos at each council from the FOI requests. Nonetheless Buckinghamshire Council has an appropriate and statutorily compliant programme.

"Total eradication of the presence of asbestos in buildings, both nationally as well as in Buckinghamshire, can only be truly achieved by complete demolition of all buildings built prior to 1999 which is simply not feasible due to the sheer numbers of premises involved, hence why the Government has legislation in place to mitigate any risks by leaving in it in place under strictly controlled circumstances. The council will continue to remove asbestos-based materials as and when required."

The other councils contacted for the project were:

-Barnet Council;

-Birmingham City Council;

-Bristol City Council;

-BCP Council for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole;

-City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council;

-Cardiff Council;

-Cheshire East Council;

-Cornwall Council;

-Croydon Council;

-Durham County Council;

-City of Edinburgh Council;

-Glasgow City Council;

-Kent County Council;

-Kirklees Council;

-Leeds City Council;

-Liverpool City Council;

-Manchester City Council;

-Sheffield City Council;

-Wiltshire Council.