Parliament restoration blasted over unnecessary spending

The decision to dissolve the project sponsor body and run it in-house also threatens further delays to the build, according to the report, which said the proposed alternative “does not seem viable”.

“Progress is not only unacceptably slow, but the likely start date for major works has been pushed back by many years because of repeated attempts to revisit the basis of the programme,” the report said.

“Recent decisions to remove the sponsor body have created significant uncertainty and value-for-money risk,” it adds. “Nugatory spending, including £140m to install temporary fire-safety systems, is already evident.

“Although some urgent works could be undertaken earlier, there is still no clear indication of when major works may start.”

The Restoration and Renewal Sponsor Body was originally appointed to lead some of the restoration, including conservation and building work, but the group was recently dissolved, with the Houses of Parliament taking the work back in-house.

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