A regional editor has slammed the UK Government’s “abysmal” handling of the crumbling schools crisis after splashing on the issue.

Northern Echo editor Gavin Foster has hit out at “incompetence” at the Department for Education over the issue of collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, which has led to the full or part closure of more than 100 schools in England.

It comes after the Echo revealed a letter sent to Stockton North’s Labour MP Alex Cunningham, signed by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, claimed a school in Stockton-on-Tees was on a current RAAC watchlist – despite having been demolished seven years ago.

The Darlington-based Echo splashed on the mix-up yesterday.

Gavin told HTFP: “The level of incompetence and lack of accountability from the Education Minister and her department on the crumbling schools fiasco is staggering.

“This is a perfect example of the incompetence we are seeing. Gillian Keegan happy to put her name to a letter to an MP informing him of a school at risk in his constituency which was demolished and rebuilt years ago.

“Who is checking this information? How out of date is the information they are looking at. Clearly someone hasn’t done their job right here and this is just one example. What else have they got wrong?

“It doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence. The handling of this crisis is abysmal and that is what we are hearing from schools, teachers and families of children affected across our region.

“Not really what I would call a good job – but clearly some have different views on what good looks like. But we will make sure we keep on holding the minister to account.”

The controversy arose just a day after Ms Keegan claimed in a rant caught on camera by ITV that she was doing a “f***ing good job” while others “sat on their a**e”.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education told the Echo: “We have been clear since Thursday about the number of schools immediately impacted by RAAC.

“It is vital that schools are given time to inform parents and consider their next steps, with extensive support from our caseworkers, before the list of affected schools is published.

“52 of the 156 RAAC cases identified already have mitigations in place, and while some of the remaining projects will be more complex, many will range from just a single building on a wider estate, down to a single classroom.

“We are incredibly grateful to school and college leaders for their work with us at pace to make sure that where children are affected, disruption is kept to a minimum, and in the even rarer cases where remote learning is required, it is for a matter of days not weeks.”