Asbestos Taskforce letter to Education Secretary Lucy Powell MP
On Thursday 10 September 2026, the National Asbestos Taskforce has written to Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell MP, urging DfE to address the presence of Asbestos in school buildings.
Following the Government's decision to prioritise the removal of RAAC, the taskforce strongly urged the government to take comparable action by prioritising the issue of asbestos in schools so that future exposure can be averted.
You can find the full letter below:
The Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP Secretary of State Department for Education
10 September 2026
Dear Secretary of State,
RE: Addressing the presence of Asbestos in school buildings
I am writing on behalf of the National Asbestos Taskforce, which has been established by a coalition of partners committed to removing asbestos from the UK built environment.
Asbestos is the UK’s number one occupational killer. It remains in large quantities across our school estate, continuing to pose serious health risks to both staff and pupils. The occupational evidence suggests that female teachers are about 5 times more likely to die from mesothelioma than would be expected in populations not exposed to asbestos,[1] while pupils are known to be at an even greater risk of developing mesothelioma later in life.
There are currently 8,633 system-built schools in England, including 1,809 CLASP schools and 4,738 CLASP-type schools.[2] These are prefabricated structures with steel-clad columns insulated with asbestos. Most of these buildings are now many years beyond their intended use, in deteriorating condition, and riddled with the most dangerous forms of asbestos. HSE guidance states that duty holders should presume asbestos may be present in inaccessible or hidden parts of system-built schools.[3]
We are aware that the Government has prioritised the removal of RAAC. The taskforce strongly urges the government to take comparable action by prioritising the issue of asbestos in schools so that future exposure can be averted.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss how a truly safe, future-proof school estate might be achieved, and to demonstrate how analysis of asbestos in buildings, undertaken by Asbestos Information CIC, can enable a national database for all schools, like those introduced in other countries (see Asbestos in Schools in the Netherlands).
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Morrin, ResPublica – Secretariat for the National Asbestos Taskforce Chris Emmett, Chair of the National Asbestos Taskforce Sarah Lyons, National Education Union (NEU)
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary ASCL
Professor Daniel Murphy, PREDICT-Meso Mesothelioma research consortium
Derek Maylor, Chair of Merseyside Asbestos Victims Support Group
Charles Pickles, Founder of Airtight on Asbestos
John Richards, Asbestos Information CIC
Richard Blunt, Campaigner
Saranjit Kaur, Campaigner
Dr. Gill Reed, Researcher
Steve Sadley, ARCA
Liz Darlison, CEO of Mesothelioma UK
Rhys Martin, The Society and College of Radiographers
Jamie McGovern, Communication Workers Union
On behalf of the National Asbestos Taskforce
About the National Asbestos Taskforce
The National Asbestos Taskforce is a new coalition of industry bodies, trade unions, charities and campaign groups. The taskforce is dedicated to eradicating asbestos from the UK built environment.
[1] See Robin Howie’s evidence to the Work & Pensions Inquiry into asbestos
[2] According to responses from Local Authority Duty Holders to the HSE Questionnaire regarding asbestos management in system- built schools in July 2010.
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