Carillion liquidation will “put a strain on schools”

Carillion liquidation will “put a strain on schools”

Facilities management firm Carillion is set to go into liquidation, leaving a potential strain on schools which it provides services for.

Carillion provides facilities maintenance, cleaning and catering services to hundreds of schools, but the government has confirmed that public funding will be provided to maintain the public services run by the firm.

Carillion currently provides facilities management in 875 schools and mechanical, electrical and fabric maintenance services in 683. The firm also holds cleaning contracts for 245 schools.

Other services include catering, health and safety, energy management, grounds and property maintenance.

It is also unclear what will happen to the firm’s 43,000 staff, 20,000 of whom are based in the UK.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union,has since warned that the firm’s collapse would put a strain on schools.

He said: “Headteachers and other school staff face another strain on their excessive workloads as they try and make short-term contingency plans and new arrangements for the long-term, while Carillion staff working in and for schools will be anxious about their job security and their pensions

“While the government must protect the employment and pensions of Carillion’s public sector workers it must also take a long hard look at its encouragement of private sector involvement in schools and the unnecessary risks being taken with children’s education and wellbeing.”

Alongside its facilities services, Carillion has built around 150 schools, and also set up an academy trust that now runs two schools in the north west.

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