Parliamentary officials decided to silence Big Ben during building work because of concerns about having to pay mechanics for overtime.
There was uproar when it was revealed the bells would be silenced for four years while the refurbishment of Elizabeth Tower took place. It was silenced at the end of August ahead of the £61m maintenance works.
The decision to silence the clock led to calls for the bell to ring when builders are not working – such as in the early mornings, evenings and weekends.
But officials decided against the move as it would require a ‘minimum of two/three hours’ overtime for the clock’s mechanics which they thought wasn’t sustainable over several months.
Workers were pictured last week erecting scaffolding around Elizabeth Tower as they began conservation work
In an email sent by a senior official to David Natzler, the Clerk of the House of Commons, he explained the reason for silencing the clock.
In the correspondence seen by the Sunday Telegraph from August 14, he said: ‘The clock mechanics’ standard working hours are typically 0700-1500, so we would require a minimum of 2-3 hours of overtime from a member of the (very small) team each day.
‘In practice the requirement would probably be higher, as work on the project starts from 0700 and can continue until 1800 on a typical day, and involves not just the scaffolders but other trades working on site from September onwards.
‘This level of overtime by the clock mechanics might well not be sustainable over a four and a half month period.’
The official also raised concerns by the contractors about ‘the potential for delays to the project’ if a clock mechanic arrived late or failed to turn up to switch off the bell on any morning.
Men wearing hard hats, hi-vis jackets and safety harnesses were seen clambering up to the clock face of the 315ft structure in the heart of Westminster
The maintenance work is expected to be completed in 2021 and will cost £61million
Despite that Big Ben will ding dong merrily on high when its bongs are restored for Christmas.
Commons leader Andrea Leadsom persuaded parliamentary officials to allow the bell to chime over the festive season.
Under the plans the bongs will be reinstated from December 23 until New Year’s Day, according to The Sunday Times.
Mrs Leadsom told the newspaper: ‘Some people might think this is a trivial matter – but over the course of the repairs, we have a duty to uphold the huge appeal of Big Ben to the millions of tourists that visit it each year.
‘I’m sure visitors to the Eiffel Tower or Taj Mahal would be incredibly disappointed if they were covered in scaffolding – the same is true of Elizabeth Tower.’
She added: ‘I’m delighted that we’ve made progress, and I will continue to press for the bell to ring again before 2021.’
Officials decided against Big Ben chiming as it would require a ‘minimum of two/three hours’ overtime for the clock’s mechanics which they thought wasn’t sustainable over several months
Prime Minister Theresa May joined the outcry against plans to stop the bell for the longest period in its 157-year history when the proposals were unveiled.
A month after the last bong, parliamentary officials said the repair costs for the Elizabeth Tower restoration had doubled to an estimated £61 million.
The conservation project for the clock tower, which houses the Big Ben bell, was originally priced at £29 million in the spring of 2016.
A Parliamentary spokesman said: ‘The chimes have been stopped to provide a safe environment for the people working on the tower and to maximise efficient working. The Clerk of the House has also reviewed the health and safety case for stopping the chimes and that review has endorsed the arguments for the existing arrangements.
‘As has always been planned, Big Ben will still chime for important national occasions. We will shortly announce the schedule for sounding the bells over the Remembrance Sunday weekend and the Christmas/New Year period.’