Then there is the “full decant” option, in which both houses would move while the job is done. Neither option comes cheap. It would be an estimated £8.4-£11.5bn and take 19 to 24 years for the full decant, whereas staying put would come at a whopping £11.8-£18.7bn and take somewhere between 38 and a staggering 61 years.
Seems like the full decant option it is then?
I’ve read that one of the reasons why repair jobs take so long is because some Lords refuse to have sessions is there’s any visible building work going on in the chamber. So contractors need to stop, put things back and stop while there’s a session going on and then continue when it’s finished. And other staff complain if there’s any slight bit of noise going on.
If they can decant everyone out then this should surely help with that as contractors can work uninterrupted.
I thought the plan from a few years ago to put them all up in York seemed sensible
I like the idea of moving things up north, but I’m not sure if it’s really practical given that Whitehall is in London and other key departments.
If they managed during the pandemic I think they can handle it now. I would like some departments to be moved out of London but I get that London is a talent draw so some staff would not like to move.
Move to where exactly? It would have to be a large estate, with over 1000 office suites, security, two chambers, media facilities including uplink and contribution studios, and so on. Wherever it goes will have two major shocks, one when house prices and infrastructure demand surges, then a crash when parliament leaves again. It must be quickly (1hr) reachable from Whitehall for PMQ and MQs. So that’s either within the Home Counties or people will have to accept an era of helicopter government. Add a helipad or two to the list.
“Dangerous and squalid” describes quite a few MPs.
MPs deserve far worse than that
The cavernous, ancient Westminster Hall, dating to 1097, where the late Queen Elizabeth II lay in state, is resolutely immune to getting any internet or mobile phone reception; highly impractical if you are arranging to meet people there who are running late and messaging you to say so.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picocell
A picocell is a small cellular base station typically covering a small area, such as in-building (offices, shopping malls, train stations, stock exchanges, etc.), or more recently in-aircraft. In cellular networks, picocells are typically used to extend coverage to indoor areas where outdoor signals do not reach well, or to add network capacity in areas with very dense phone usage, such as train stations or stadiums. Picocells provide coverage and capacity in areas difficult or expensive to reach using the more traditional macrocell approach.[1]
The cavernous, ancient Westminster Hall, dating to 1097, where the late Queen Elizabeth II lay in state, is resolutely immune to getting any internet or mobile phone reception
That sounds perfect for conducting parliamentary business in. Get them off their phones whilst debating.
