MPs fear catastrophe as crumbling Parliament awaits urgent repairs
Don’t delay Westminster revamp
THE PALACE of Westminster is in danger of a “catastrophic failure” unless ministers bring forward a major renovation programme as a matter of urgency, a committee of MPs has warned.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) backed a plan for a “full decant” of the building – home to the Houses of Parliament – with MPs and peers moving out for a period of around six years while the work is carried out at an estimated cost of £3.5 to £3.9bn.
The committee said the proposal put forward last year by a joint committee of the House of Commons and the House of Lords represented the “most economical, effective and efficient” option for restoring the palace.
As a Unesco world heritage site, the committee stressed that ultimate responsibility for taking action lay with the Treasury while further “delay and indecision” would simply add to the final cost. “This internationallyrecognised building is in a state of extreme disrepair.
“The risk of a catastrophic failure is high and growing with every month that passes,” it said.
“It must be repaired. For a world heritage site that is the home of the ‘mother of parliaments’, doing nothing is not an option. The best value for money will be achieved by getting on with it.”
The position however is complicated by the decision of another committee of MPs – the Commons Treasury Committee – to conduct its own inquiry.
Launching the inquiry in January, the committee chairman Andrew Tyrie said the original joint committee proposal and the consultants’ report did not provide sufficient evidence to make even a “preliminary decision”.
IN VIEW of the nation’s finances, there will be those who contend that the proposed refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster should be at the bottom of the list of priorities.
They’re mistaken. Such short-termism overlooks the fact that the Houses of Parliament are a symbol of Britain’s national heritage and help to attract money-spending tourists from around the world each year.
Now that a Parliamentary report has concluded that “the most economical, effective and efficient” restoration option is to move the Commons and Lords to an alternative venue while the Palace is restored, the powers-that-be need to get on with the task in hand – it’s also a once-ina-generation opportunity to showcase the skills of Britain’s stonemasons and other specialist trades which will be required in abundance for such an ornate project. The longer that those concerned dither and delay, the greater the cost to taxpayers as the fabric of this historic building deteriorates.