Scores of university halls of residences and lecture theatres in the UK were judged "at serious risk of major failure or breakdown" and "unfit for purpose", a secret database obtained after a legal battle by the Guardian reveals.
Some of the most popular, high-ranking institutions, such as the London School of Economics, had 41% of their lecture theatres and classrooms deemed unsuitable for current use, while Imperial College London had 12% of its non-residential buildings branded "inoperable". At City University, 41% of the student apartments were judged unfit for purpose.
Universities argue they have spent hundreds of millions in freshening them up since the judgments were made two years ago and use some of the buildings for storage purposes only.
The government agency that holds the information, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), was forced to reveal it after an information tribunal(资讯法庭) ruled in the Guardian’s favour, agreeing that it was in the public’s interest for the data to be made public.
Hefce is thought to have spent up to ￡50,000 trying to conceal the data from the Guardian, which requested it two and a half years ago. The newspaper’s lawyer, Aidan Eardley, said the case would make it harder for government agencies to withhold information in future.
The database, which aims to help universities compare the condition of their estate with their competitors, shows more than 90% of higher education institutions had at least 10% of their buildings judged below the "sound and operationally safe" category. One in 10 institutions had at least 10% of their estate judged inoperable and at serious risk of major breakdown.
Universities employ surveyors to judge the condition of their estate according to four categories: as new; sound and operationally safe; operational but in need of major repair and inoperable; posing a serious risk of major failure and breakdown. The surveyors also record whether buildings are suitable for student living, teaching and learning under four more categories, from "excellent" to "unsuitable for current use".
Property consultants who advise universities said that, at its most extreme, buildings deemed inoperable could break fire regulations, have leaks and rot.
What did universities do with the buildings at risk