A row has broken out over the installation of working fire sprinkler systems in schools across Tory-controlled Monmouthshire
A Labour councillor has accused the only Tory-controlled council in Wales of failing to provide the best possible fire protection at schools in poorer areas.
Armand Watts, who represents Chepstow on Monmouthshire County Council, criticised the authority for not installing working fire sprinkler systems at a number of schools in the south of the county – which is poorer and less inclined to vote Conservative than the more prosperous northern part.
Thornwell Primary School was severely damaged in June 2011 by a fire which destroyed the infants building and the nursery unit. Infants have been housed in a temporary building ever since.
Earlier this week plans were approved for a new, single-storey building to be built on an existing playground.
But while the new building will include a £112,000 sprinkler system as part of the improvements, the council has decided not to spend a further £237,319.50 on installing a sprinkler system in the old part of the school building.
Mr Watts said: “I find it shocking that the council is not prepared to take advantage of the opportunity to put a sprinkler system in the whole school. It’s quite a contrast to the stance they are taking at Raglan, in the north of the county, where a new school is getting a sprinkler system throughout.”
Mr Watts said Castle Park Primary School in Caldicot had been fitted with a sprinkler system as part of a refurbishment – but it hasn’t been plumbed in because of the cost.
A third school, Mountain House Special School in Chepstow, has a sprinkler system in most of the school, but not the gymnasium, said Mr Watts.
“It looks very much to me as if the council is taking decisions about fire safety based on demography and how people are likely to vote,” he said.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “We would expect all local authorities to consider installing fire sprinklers in new school buildings.”
“Since 2007-08 it has been a condition of Welsh Government grant that all new school build and significant refurbishment projects must have fire sprinklers installed. This requirement will continue with the 21st Century Schools capital programme. “
Schools funded out of a council’s own resources, however, are under no legal obligation to install sprinklers.
A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council said: “The installation of sprinkler systems in existing buildings is highly disruptive and would require the buildings to be vacated while the work is underway.
“All new builds have sprinkler systems installed during construction.
“In the case of Thornwell, the new state-of-the-art learning plaza will have a sprinkler system. Given that part of the school is already housed in temporary buildings, we will not add to the disruption by moving children out of the existing buildings in order to install sprinklers there. But we will put the infrastructure in place to allow future installation of sprinklers in the older part of the school.
“We have installed the infrastructure for a sprinkler system in Castle Park school and will activate it once the whole of the school is remodelled to 21st Century School standards.
“Rogiet and Dewstow, as new builds, already have sprinkler systems and the recently announced complete rebuild of Raglan school to 21st century standards will also include a sprinkler system.
“We are a UK leader in the provision of new school buildings. We certainly do not favour one part of the county over another when it comes to investing in the education of our children and young people.
“The county boasts both the UK’s most modern school – Dewstow – and the UK’s greenest school – Rogiet. Both of these are in the south of the county.
“We also built the UK’s first learning plaza at Castle Park school and have committed an additional £1.5m of council money over and above the insurance receipt to replace the fire-damaged section of Thornwell School with a 21st century schools standard learning plaza. Both these schools are in the south of the county. And the first secondary school in Monmouthshire to be rebuilt under the 21st Century Schools programme will be Caldicot – again in the south of the county.”
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