MPS were not told of plan to silence Big Ben
Officials failed to disclose that bells would not ring for four years when £29m renovation was approved
MPS were not told Big Ben would be silenced for four years when they approved a £29 million renovation scheme, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
The chairmen of two Commons committees have complained that officials failed to disclose that the bell could not be rung to protect the hearing of builders on site. Parliamentary authorities have announced that Big Ben will chime for the last time at noon on Monday until the completion of the work on Elizabeth Tower in 2021.
The decision has led to demands for the bell to ring when builders are off site – such as in the evenings, early mornings and at weekends.
Yesterday, David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, became the first Cabinet minister to wade into the row, saying it was “mad” to silence the bongs for so long, adding: “There’s hardly a health and safety argument… They should get on with it.”
Sir Paul Beresford, the Conservative MP and chairman of the administration committee that approved the project in October 2015, said: “I don’t remember them [officials] ever saying the bells will be switched off for four years.
“If we had known the bells would be out of action for four years we would have asked them to work around it. It was not mentioned to the committee.”
Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrat who is the MPS’ representative on the House of Commons commission that rubber-stamped the renovation, said: “It was never spelt out that Big Ben would be silenced for four years. I guess when the original plans were put forward it would not have been explained [to MPS] at that level of detail.”
Mr Brake will now demand that Palace of Westminster officials re-examine the scheme and assess the cost and practicality of ringing Big Ben when workers are off site.
Unite, the largest construction union, said it had no objection to Big Ben being rung when workers were off site.
Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary of Unite, said: “The safety of the workers undertaking the work must be paramount. However, when the workers are off site, Unite would welcome the bells ringing as normal, provided this doesn’t have any additional implications for safety.”
Steve Jaggs, the Keeper of the Clock, who is responsible for its conservation, said it would be costly and complex to ensure Big Ben chimes when workers are off site. But when asked what that cost would be, he said no calculation had been made. Mr Jaggs said: “We have to get value for money. It isn’t cost effective. I have to think of the Government’s purse and the public purse and whether it is worth the extra cost. It would be expensive and complicated.”
Big Ben will continue to ring on special occasions, including New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday. However, House of Commons authorities said last night that ringing the bell regularly would not be possible.
A statement said: “It would not be practical or a good use of public money to start and stop the bells each day. In addition, as we cannot fully predict the times that staff will be working on this project, it would be impossible to reconnect the bells on a regular basis.
“Big Ben’s bongs are an integral part of parliamentary life and we will ensure that they can resume their role as the nation’s timekeeper as soon as possible.”