Restoring Parliament could take 76 YEARS if MPs refuse to leave

Restoring the Palace of Westminster could take 76 years and cost up to £22billion if MPs refuse to leave while the work is carried out, according to a new official report.

The Houses of Parliament Restoration & Renewal Programme today published an assessment of how much it could cost and how long it could take if MPs decide against a full decant.

That would mean builders and engineers having to work around politicians as they continue to use the House of Commons. 

The report said that in a worst case scenario the restoration project could last for more than seven decades. 

Restoring the Palace of Westminster could take 76 years and cost up to £22billion if MPs refuse to leave while the work is carried out, according to a new official report

MPs and peers agreed in 2018 to a plan that would see both the House of Commons and House of Lords move to temporary facilities near the existing site – a ‘full decant’ – to allow essential repairs and upgrades to be made to the Victorian palace.

But the project is being reviewed amid growing concerns and mounting opposition from some MPs who want to stay put. 

MPs are expected to make a final decision in early 2023 about how much taxpayers’ cash they are willing to spend on restoring Parliament.  

Today’s report looking at the potential cost and timescale of the project has been considered by the House of Commons Commission, chaired by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and the House of Lords Commission. 

The two commissions have decided that the project ‘should not proceed as originally envisaged’ and they are now ‘discussing the next steps’. 

The House of Commons Commission asked for the report to be done to look at the impact MPs staying put would have on the restoration project.

The cost report said that a full decant could mean restoration work lasting for 17 years with the decant lasting for 11 years and a total cost of £5.5billion.

A worst case scenario would see the works take 28 years with a 20 year decant and a cost of up to £13billion.

Today’s report looking at the potential cost and timescale of the project has been considered by the House of Commons Commission, chaired by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and the House of Lords Commission

But in a scenario where the House of Commons remains up and running for the entirety of the restoration programme, the report said the works could take up to 76 years and cost up to £22billion.             

The report said keeping the Commons open throughout would mean restoration works would have to be done in a ‘piecemeal fashion’ which could lead to disruption.

It also expressed health and safety concerns, warning that the ‘complexity of operating parliamentary business surrounded by a live construction site, even assuming all industry best practice, will inevitably substantially increase general risks relating to safety, security, and evacuation’.