Westminster lifts lid on costs to put Houses in order
DOORS, lifts and tiles are being replaced at the Houses of Parliament – at a cost of more than £50milion.
The huge sums being poured into the Palace of Westminster and across the Parliamentary estate have been revealed, with repairs to lifts alone estimated to cost £41million.
Work to upgrade the doors to Central Lobby – which connects the House of Commons and the House of Lords – is predicted to come in at £3.8million.
And a project to replace decorated tiles is expected to cost £11.8million.
This comes as work continues on the restoration of the Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben. It was originally predicted to cost £29million but is now expected to ring in at £80million.
Further down the line, billions of pounds could be spent on a full refurbishment of the wider palace, with plans being worked on.
Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Alan Brown, who obtained the figures, said: “I am truly astonished at the amount of money thrown at works that many people will not see as a necessity.
“Let’s not forget they will be looking to spend billions of pounds to restore the Palace of Westminster so it seems crazy to be spending millions of pounds on work that might end up being ripped out or redone within the wider refurbishment plans.” A House of Commons spokesman said the £3.8million work on the Central Lobby doors was “vital” to “ensure they meet all necessary security and safety standards”.
A spokesman said of the wider refurbishment plans: “The Palace of Westminster is falling apart faster than it can be fixed and is in urgent need of a programme of essential restoration.
“We are getting on with developing a detailed restoration plan, based on tens of thousands of hours of building investigations, that will for the first time give a true sense of the work required, costs and timescales.
“Parliament will vote on the plan before the restoration work commences.”