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TAXPAYERS could be forced to foot a £3 billion bill for the planned restoration of the Houses of Parliament, an expert has claimed.
Dr Richard Ware who led an examination of options for renovating the historic building, told Newsnight on Thursday that it was “not unreasonable” to think the bill could top £2bn, but the programme claimed that the “working assumption” of insiders was that it could be a billion pounds more.
The report found that basic services within the building, such as electricity, water and sanitation, were being kept functioning “with increasing difficulty and growing risks.”
The report also found that asbestos was present throughout the building and original roofs were no longer watertight, leading to extensive damp, leaks and floods.
The present building — home to Houses of Lords and Commons since 1847 and 1852 — has had no general renovation since repairs of wartime damage in 1945-50, the report said.
