It cost £1.1m for Staffordshire County Council to temporarily close Flash Ley primary school, but none of the costs have been recouped
Not a single penny of the £1.1 million it cost a council to temporarily close a school has be recouped, it has been revealed.
Flash Ley Primary School in Hawksmoor Road, Stafford, was evacuated in October 2015 after 20 pupils fell ill due to the presence of formaldehyde.
The toxic gas was released following works to fill in ducts beneath the flooring. Rugeley firm G Evans and Benefil were contracted and sub-contracted to carry out the work.
Pupils were allowed to return in January this year but in the interim period Staffordshire County Council’s bill to relocate students, remove the toxic gas and vent the buildings totalled £1,113,159.14.
The council vowed to recoup all of costs racked up by the closure but has yet to receive any compensation to date.
Philip White, the council’s cabinet support member for learning and employability, said: “The recovery process is continuing and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this point.”
The council’s finances were not the only thing to suffer during the relocation with the school itself seeing a high staff turnover in the period along with the loss of 90 pupils.
But bosses said the school was now heading in the ‘right direction’.
