BONG! NOW A BIG BEN CLIMBDOWN
MPs who signed off facelift say they didn’t know about bell’s four-year silence and pledge: We’ll think again
MPs are set to review the ‘ bonkers’ Big Ben plan after claiming they didn’t know the famous bell would be silenced for four years. three Parliamentary committees are said to have agreed on the work before it was given final approval by the House of Com- mons Commission, chaired by speaker John Bercow.
But last night MPs insisted they had no idea they were signing off on a plan that would silence the Great Bell’s bongs for four years because of health and safety concerns.
they expressed anger at the length of time allocated to refurbish the elizabeth tower, which will silence the bells to protect workers from hearing damage, with tory MP nicholas soames saying: ‘tell those poor little darlings to put headphones on.’
Brexit secretary David Davis also waded into the row, saying that stopping the chimes was ‘mad’ and urging the Parliamentary estate’s authorities to ‘just get on with it’.
in the face of the growing revolt, Liberal Democrat MP tom Brake, the spokesman for the Commons
Commission, said he would ask for the plans to be reviewed. ‘Following representations that have been made, I will ask the commission whether it will look again at whether more extended bellringing is an option that is both mechanically and financially viable.
‘Clearly there is a means of doing it ( having the bells ring more often) because there is a commitment to ensuring the bells ring on New Year’s Eve.’
Mr Brake insisted that while the refurbishment plans had been brought before the commission, the specifics – such as Big Ben being silenced for four years – had not been discussed or signed off.
The plans to silence Big Ben, which has rung out reassuringly for more than 150 years, even during times of war, sparked an outcry when they were revealed on Monday. The £29 million, four-year facelift will repair cracked masonry in the Elizabeth Tower that houses Big Ben, while the clock mechanism will also be serviced. The bells will sound only on occasions such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Day.
The Parliamentary authorities said it would be ‘unacceptable’ to expose workers on scaffolding surrounding the tower to the noise of the chimes – and also ‘unacceptable’ for them to wear ear defenders. EU health and safety rules dictate that ear defenders can be used only as a last resort in the workplace.
But Mr Davis dismissed the health and safety concerns, telling LBC Radio: ‘I think it’s mad.
‘ There’s a sort of rude phrase which I will shorten to “just get on with it”. When I was in business, it was my standard line – “just get on, just do it, don’t faff”.’
Mr Soames, the grandson of war-time prime minister Winston Churchill, added: ‘It is a tremendously defeatist decision in an age where the technology exists to recreate the sound of Big Ben completely authentically and on time.’
Following the public outcry yesterday, the authorities issued another defence, saying workers’ hearing would be put at ‘serious risk’.
They said workers could be ‘startled by the sudden loud noise, with consequences for their own safety and those of other people in and around the tower’, adding: ‘The only way to ensure people’s safety is to temporarily stop the bell.’ MPs last night suggested solutions to allow both the bells to chime and the workers to be safe.
One option would be supplying workers with specialist ear defenders which would block out the 118-decibel sound, and enable them to communicate with colleagues at the same time.
On Monday the Parliamentary authorities claimed the project was agreed on by three committees. It said the Commons administration committee agreed to it in October 2015, the administration and works commit- tee in November 2015 and the finance committee during two meetings in October and November 2015.
But Tory MP James Gray, who sat on the administration committee, said he was not aware of the details and called for a re-examination of the plans.
He said: ‘I do not remember any mention of the bells being silent for four years, nor any health and safety reasons arising. I don’t believe it was really discussed properly … had it been so I think most MPs would think it seemed ridicu- lous and excessive. I think it should be re-examined.’
He added: ‘I sympathise with the workers but why can’t they wear ear protectors? Or why can’t it be turned on at certain times?
‘We’ve got to protect the workers but to stop it for four years is an over-reaction, it’s bonkers.’
Despite Mr Brake confirming the project had been brought before the Commons Commission, a spokesman for Mr Bercow’s office denied reports it had signed off the project.
The TUC union supported the decision to silence Big Ben. Its health and safety expert Hugh Robertson said: ‘Protecting workers’ hearing is far from “health and safety gone mad”. It’s just plain common sense.’
Labour MP Chris Bryant added: ‘I would not want to put people at risk just because people are sounding off about it.’
IN a victory for the Mail, MPs have ordered a hasty rethink of the ‘bonkers’ plan to silence Big Ben for four years while a £29million restoration is carried out. One question: How could three committees have signed off a scheme that would have robbed us for so long of the most potent symbol of British democracy?
Was it really beyond the wit of our legislators to seek ways of keeping the Great Bell ringing out over Westminster – as it has done for more than 150 years – without risk to the hearing of those working on the renovation?
An obvious solution would be to issue ear protectors, of the sort worn by ground staff at airports. Indeed, if the quarterly chimes can be disconnected, they need only be worn once an hour.
In their defence, MPs claim they had no idea they were agreeing to silence the bongs of Big Ben until 2021. But if they had done their job properly, wouldn’t they have put the question?
While they were at it, shouldn’t they also have asked why it should cost £29million and take four years to restore the Elizabeth Tower? It’s only our money, after all.