Parliament should move to Midlands, claim MPs
Pressure for decision as Palace of Westminster faces restoration
ACAMPAIGN to move Parliament to the West Midlands stepped up a gear after MPs voted for a temporary move out of the Palace of Westminster.
MPs backed a plan to leave their historic home for around six years so essential restoration work can be carried out.
And it means they have to find somewhere else to hold their debates.
While the most likely option is to stay in London, it has led to calls for Parliament to move out of the capital for a while.
And Dudley North MP Ian Austin (Lab) said MPs should meet in the West Midlands.
He said: “Parliament badly needs refurbishment and I think we use this opportunity to move MPs and government departments out of London.
“Unlike other countries we’ve got government, Parliament, business, finance and the media all concentrated in London, so let’s set an example and move Parliament out of London – preferably to West Midlands in the middle of the country.
“I think that would take pressure off London’s overheated economy and imagine how moving government to the regions could help bring new investment and new jobs to areas like the Midlands.
“Most important of all, it would force the metropolitan elite ruining the government and the civil ser- vice to listen to the rest of us and find out what life is like outside London.”
Mr Austin has previously suggested MPs could hold debates in Dudley Town Hall.
The vote by MPs could see them relocate to temporary accommodation for at least six years, although not until the middle of the next decade.
The House of Lords will vote next week on whether to support to the plan.
Repairs to Parliament are expected to cost at least £3.5 billion.
While many people associate Parliament with the Commons debating Chamber and its famous green benches, it’s also a sprawling complex of corridors, offices, can- teens and meeting rooms, where thousands of officials, researchers, journalists and maintenance staff work.
Most of the Palace of Westminster was built between 1840 and 1870. Some areas were rebuilt after the Second World War, largely to repair bomb damage.
It is in a poor state today, with frequent minor floods and mechanical breakdowns.
Some the high voltage cables in the building are decaying – but there is no way of accessing many of them.
The building is not well compartmentalised, which could allow fire to spread quickly.
And there is a substantial amount of asbestos in the building which has to be removed.
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said this week that Parliament had a “hotch potch” of pipes and wiring that was ageing faster than it was possible to repair.
“There are some critical risks in the Palace of Westminster,” she said.
“Firstly, the lack of fire compartmentation increases the risk of fire, meaning that 24-hour fire patrols are necessary in order to keep us safe.
“Over the last 10 years, 60 incidents have had the potential to cause a serious fire.”
She also highlighted a “huge amount” of asbestos in the walls and the fact many pipes and cables were decades past their lifespan.
“The likelihood of a major failure grows the longer the systems are left unaddressed,” she said.