Three billion minimum to repair the Houses of Parliament

Three billion minimum to repair the Houses of Parliament

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hornetrider

Original Poster:

63,161 posts

204 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
3 billion (on the cautious side)???

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/02/jo...

Get fked. Move into an office in Milton Keynes.

-crookedtail-

1,558 posts

189 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Its an iconic building so does need to be preserved imho, but £3 Billion is a crazy amount - I agree move the self entitled brigade out and into somewhere cheaper and use the building for something else.

Boydie88

3,283 posts

148 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
fk me. Oh to be in a job contracted by the government.

cirian75

4,245 posts

232 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
build a new one in Brum, watch how fast London declines.

R666

183 posts

225 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
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Convert it into flats

R666

183 posts

225 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Convert it into flats

FourWheelDrift

88,375 posts

283 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Convert it into a combined hotel, club, bar and brothel.

Actually it needs no converting. Just throw the current squatters out.

Leithen

10,798 posts

266 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
It's not fit for purpose - The Commons can only seat 427 of the 650 MPs.

If we are going to spend 3 Billion, turn the existing pile into a tourist attraction that can help pay for it's upkeep.

Build a new circular chamber, geographically central to the UK, close to rail links etc. Design a seating programme so that MPs cannot sit beside more than one of their colleagues in each parliament. The chamber can be alternate use for Commons/Lords.

Then we might get some oratory/debate worth listening to.

Build Offices next door designed to allow constituents to see their MP.

Pay travelodge to put up a 650 bed hotel next door.

Guybrush

4,328 posts

205 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Boydie88 said:
fk me. Oh to be in a job contracted by the government.
I guess that's why it's a tad pricy. Highly unlikely to get a proper competitive price when there's a seemingly bottomless pit of money to be had.

BlackLabel

13,251 posts

122 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all

james_tigerwoods

16,287 posts

196 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Leithen said:
It's not fit for purpose - The Commons can only seat 427 of the 650 MPs.

If we are going to spend 3 Billion, turn the existing pile into a tourist attraction that can help pay for it's upkeep.

Build a new circular chamber, geographically central to the UK, close to rail links etc. Design a seating programme so that MPs cannot sit beside more than one of their colleagues in each parliament. The chamber can be alternate use for Commons/Lords.

Then we might get some oratory/debate worth listening to.

Build Offices next door designed to allow constituents to see their MP.

Pay travelodge to put up a 650 bed hotel next door.
The public enquiry in to that alone would top 3 billion.


ralphrj

3,507 posts

190 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Leithen said:
Build a new circular chamber, geographically central to the UK, close to rail links etc.
Are you aware that the geographic centre of the UK is in the middle of Morecambe Bay, roughly 1.5 miles from the coast?

I'm not sure how much an underwater House of Parliament might cost us (plus the connecting rail links) but I suspect that it would be a lot cheaper to just renovate Westminster.

kowalski655

14,599 posts

142 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
An underwater HofP might be a good ideasmile

Sheepshanks

32,519 posts

118 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
ralphrj said:
Leithen said:
Build a new circular chamber, geographically central to the UK, close to rail links etc.
Are you aware that the geographic centre of the UK is in the middle of Morecambe Bay, roughly 1.5 miles from the coast?
Only needs to be in the centre of England, surely?

Although I did see an article that suggests relocating it to Hull, which is a great idea.

Leithen

10,798 posts

266 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
ralphrj said:
Leithen said:
Build a new circular chamber, geographically central to the UK, close to rail links etc.
Are you aware that the geographic centre of the UK is in the middle of Morecambe Bay, roughly 1.5 miles from the coast?

I'm not sure how much an underwater House of Parliament might cost us (plus the connecting rail links) but I suspect that it would be a lot cheaper to just renovate Westminster.
I'm entirely aware of that nugget of information, hence my use of "geographically central to" rather than "the exact geographical centre of". Pedantic enough? biggrin

Crewe would do it for me - close enough to the centre, excellent rail links etc etc.

It's a perfect opportunity to do something to improve the Union as well as greatly improve access to democracy. The reasons for staying at Westminster are rubbish.

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

203 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Don't hate the building

Hate the morons that populate it

Megaflow

9,345 posts

224 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Leithen said:
It's not fit for purpose - The Commons can only seat 427 of the 650 MPs.

If we are going to spend 3 Billion, turn the existing pile into a tourist attraction that can help pay for it's upkeep.

Build a new circular chamber, geographically central to the UK, close to rail links etc. Design a seating programme so that MPs cannot sit beside more than one of their colleagues in each parliament. The chamber can be alternate use for Commons/Lords.

Then we might get some oratory/debate worth listening to.

Build Offices next door designed to allow constituents to see their MP.

Pay travelodge to put up a 650 bed hotel next door.
Surely a better idea would be to reduce the number of MP's back to 427

Leithen

10,798 posts

266 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Megaflow said:
Surely a better idea would be to reduce the number of MP's back to 427
Tempting, but it's never been that low.

FourWheelDrift

88,375 posts

283 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Up until the reform act of 1832 there were included in the total 57 robber buttons rotten boroughs. All owned by the controlling MPs family and the most notorious was Old Sarum. It was owned by the Pitt family and it's voters consisted of 3 rather mangy cows, a Dachshund named Colin and a small hen in its late forties. Nobody had actually lived there since they all relocated to Salisbury in the 14th Century. Even with 57 removed there were still far too many for the House.

longshot

3,286 posts

197 months

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
quotequote all
Move Parliament out of London to somewhere more affordable and make the building earn it's keep. A Starbucks perhaps?

The Palace Of Westminster must cost an absolute fortune to run anyway as it is so inefficient. The bills must be frightening.

Move them somewhere with a huge Travelodge next door. That will sort out their second home expenses too.