- Public asked to give views on key topics including access and
inclusion, sustainability, heritage, and jobs
People across the UK are being invited to tell the Houses of
Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme what they think
about key aspects of the restoration of the nation’s Parliament
buildings.
The Palace of Westminster is falling apart faster than it can be
fixed, with maintenance and ongoing work costs doubling in just
three years to more than £125m a year. Essential restoration and
renewal work is needed to protect it for future generations. The
work to restore and renew the Palace will create thousands of
jobs and training opportunities across the UK.
As the restoration team continues its work to develop a detailed
and costed restoration plan, members of the public will be able
to submit ideas and share their views on a range of issues to
help inform the plans which are currently under development.
Their views will be taken into account alongside those of MPs,
Peers, the Parliamentary community and a range of other
organisations with an interest in the Palace of Westminster.
Sarah Johnson, CEO, Houses of Parliament Restoration and
Renewal Sponsor Body said:
“The world-famous Palace of Westminster is a national and
international landmark, and the cornerstone of our democracy. As
we develop the detailed and costed plan to restore and renew the
Palace of Westminster we would like to involve people from across
the country and give everyone the opportunity to tell us what
they think about their national Parliament building.”
Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees Mogg
said:
“People will rightly expect the essential work needed to
restore and renew the Palace of Westminster to be cost effective
to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.
“I welcome all good ideas on protecting our magnificent
Houses of Parliament while addressing important issues including
making the Palace more accessible for Members and visitors."
Through a new online participation platform, people will be asked
how the programme can make the restored Palace of
Westminster more welcoming and accessible for Members, staff and
visitors.The building does not meet all current
guidelines for accessibility, with a wide range of challenges for
people with mobility issues and other disabilities, including
many areas of Parliament that are impossible to access step-free
and without assistance.
Members of the public will also have the opportunity to tell the
restoration programme what they think about the importance of the
150-year-old Palace of Westminster being a more
environmentally friendly and sustainable building.
The programme will also ask people about celebrating and
preserving the heritage of the Palace, including its
world-famous architecture, as well as the potential for
archaeological discoveries and how to highlight them.
Finally, the public will be asked about how the
restoration programme could make sure the thousands of jobs and
training opportunities that will be created across the UK can
benefit them directly, including considering how the
UK-wide supply chain recruits a diverse range of people.
People will be able to join in the conversation, starting today
until 14 July by visiting the Restoration and Renewal online
conversation platform. Members of the public can also share
their views by post. The conversation will be centred around the
four topics outlined above.
There will be more opportunities for people to share views on the
restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster as plans are
developed. The detailed and costed restoration and renewal plan,
which will for the first time set out a true sense of costs and
timescales, will be considered by Parliament in 2023.
The work to develop the detailed and costed plan will include
more than 100 investigative surveys, with specialist teams
spending thousands of hours analysing the building, including the
1100 rooms and more than 3000 windows.
The restoration and renewal team is also continuing to work with
Parliament to determine all the functions the building needs to
have in future, as well as look at vital improvements in areas
like accessibility. With 3000 people typically working in and
visiting the 150-year-old building every day, there are a huge
number of requirements to consider.
Restoring the building will create thousands of jobs and training
opportunities across the UK, including through an
industry-leading apprentice loan scheme that will see around 160
apprentices, including engineers, designers, stonemasons, and
carpenters, employed by the organisations overseeing and
delivering the restoration of the Palace of Westminster and
loaned to UK businesses working on the restoration.
Notes to Editors
For more information contact the Houses of Parliament Restoration
and Renewal media team atcomms@r-r.org.uk
The online consultation is hosted by digital democracy platform,
Citizenlab. Anyone can register with their name, the first part
of their postcode and a valid email address or Google or Facebook
account. Only users' names are visible to others.
Members of the public can also share their views by post. All
responses will be considered providing they are sent on or before
14 July. Responses can be sent to:
Public Views
Public engagement team
Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme
7 Millbank, London SW10 3JA
