Background
The Palace of Westminster requires extensive restoration to address serious risks, including deteriorating mechanical and electrical systems, fire safety issues, and the condition of the historic fabric. To address these issues, in 2012 the House Commissions established the Restoration and Renewal Programme (the Programme).
The Programme is sponsored on behalf of the House Commissions by the Client Team, who set the strategic direction for the programme and oversee the Delivery Authority responsible for the programme’s day-to-day delivery.
The House of Lords and Commons jointly published costed proposals outlining four options for delivery of the Programme, with a recommendation that two are developed for further consideration. These options are:
- a full decant, where MPs vacate the building for the majority of the works
- enhanced maintenance and improvement+ (EMI+), where works are carried out in different parts of the building in stages to allow MPs to remain in parts of the building for longer.
The report recommends that a series of initial works (known as the Phase 1 works) are carried out while these two options are developed further. Once this options development is completed, MPs would vote on which they wish to proceed with.
Scope
This report will examine the Programme’s set up as it proceeds to its next stages. This includes:
- the programme’s strategic case
- the programme’s governance
- the set-up of the Phase 1 works
- the programme’s approach for developing the future options
NAO team
Director: Lee-Anne Murray
Audit Manager: Kristian Barrett