Committee warns Westminster delays raise costs and risks

The Public Accounts Committee has warned that delays to the Palace of Westminster’s restoration are increasing costs and leaving the parliamentary estate exposed to serious risks, urging Parliament to decide how the work should proceed. The committee said each year of delay adds £420 million to the scheme’s lifetime costs, while weekly maintenance spending is expected to rise from £1.5 million to £2 million in coming years. The committee said the building could face a catastrophic failure that causes injuries or disrupts Parliament’s work. Its examples included the Commons chamber losing power during the State Opening of Parliament. These are risk assessments, not reports of an incident that has occurred. A UK Parliament spokesperson said work is already underway across the estate to protect the safety of people working there and visiting. The committee recommends taking forward either a full decant, in which both Houses leave for much of the work, estimated to cost up to £15.6 billion and take up to 24 years, or a partial decant known as enhanced maintenance and improvement plus, estimated at up to £39 billion and up to 61 years. The Commons and Lords are expected to narrow...