The Public Committee Accounts Committee has published a report which backs a ‘full decant’ over six years as the best-value option to restore and renew the Palace of Westminster. The Committee concludes that the Palace, a World Heritage Site, is in an extreme state of disrepair with the risk of a catastrophic failure high and growing.
There have been two comprehensive examinations of the options for restoration and renewal of the Palace; one by independent consultants and another by a Joint Committee of the two Houses. The Joint Committee recommended the evacuation of the Palace. The current report should be regarded as a review of the robustness of the options, indicative costings and project management proposals, rather than an effort to repeat the detailed and prolonged work of technical experts and political stakeholders.