Taxpayer faces £100m bill to replace roof in parliament’s Portcullis House

Taxpayers could face a £100million bill to replace the glass roof in parliament’s Portcullis House after cracks started appearing.

MPs fear the huge spend could be needed to fix crumbling panels that could be a danger to politicians and their staff.  

The building next door to the Palace of Westminster was only opened 17 years ago and houses a third of all MPs, several of their coffee bars and restaurants as well as meeting rooms used by committees.

But it has been plagued by faults and saw water cascading in two years ago after more cracks appeared in the roof.

It cost £235million to complete but emergency work has been required on a number of occasions over the last couple of years.

The roof in Portcullis House (pictured) has been cracking and there are fears it might need replacing altogether

The crumbling roof in Portcullis House (pictured) has sparked safety fears and required emergency works

The crumbling roof in Portcullis House (pictured) has sparked safety fears and required emergency works

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable has complained that the whole building is a disaster for the public purse

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable has complained that the whole building is a disaster for the public purse

The glass and metal structure is believed to be ‘too tight’ and lacks flexibility, meaning that the panes can crack as it contracts and expands in hot and cold weather. 

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable told the Sunday Mirror the whole building had been a disaster for the public purse, and warned that replacing the roof – which would cost around £100million – can no longer be ruled out. 

Sir Vince said: ‘The ongoing problems mean this option can surely no longer be discounted.

‘Portcullis is one of the UK’s most costly ever buildings and an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer.’ 

Two years ago it emerged that the roof above a third of MPs’ offices were leaking. 

The frequent temporary scaffolding and buckets catching leaks are embarrassing eyesores for MPs as they gossip over coffee and lunch in the atrium, surrounded by fig trees and other plants that experts say are necessary to offer MPs enough shade so they do not overheat in the summer. 

The Queen opened the Portcullis House in 2001 but has needed repeated repairs, with 7,500 defects reported in the first year alone. 

A parliamentary source said recently: ‘The tolerances between metal, wood, glass and supporting structures are too tight when the weather changes. It’s not just one pane of glass that cracks, there is a lot of them’.

‘This could involve just altering those tolerances or it could be that we need an entirely new roof’.

The £100million roof bill would be added to the multi-billion repairs needed for the whole Palace of Westminster, which is riddled with asbestos, leaking ceilings, rodents and moths and was described as a ‘death trap’ by one close to the refurbishment plans.

The Queen opened Portcullis House in 2001 but has needed repeated repairs, with 7,500 defects reported in the first year alone

The Queen opened Portcullis House in 2001 but has needed repeated repairs, with 7,500 defects reported in the first year alone

Experts have said the revamp could cost as much as £7billion and take 32 years to complete.

In January MPs voted in favour of moving out of Westminster entirely so Parliament can be renovated before a disastrous fire.

The Commons voted 234 to 135, a majority of just 16, in favour of endorsing the work of a joint committee of MPs and Peers on what to do about the dilapidated state of the building.

It is the first time since the war that MPs and peers will move out of the Palace of Westminster, with the £4billion restoration expected to take at least six years. 

 



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