Recommendation 23

The Clerk of the House of Commons described how restoration and renewal of the Palace would be a ‘hard sell’ to the public. Prior to the reset of the programme, the Sponsor Body estimated that works would cost between £7 billion to £13 billion if the Palace decanted, lasting between 19 to 28 years; and £22 billion under continued presence, which could take up to 76 years.53 However, witnesses suggested that the public’s support and love for the Palace was high. The Programme SRO described how their public polling showed 75% to 80% support for the building, which the public could separate from their views of government and politics. She suggested they would need to ‘trust the public’ but it is unclear to what extent support will continue as programme costs rise and issues potentially surface.54 We have previously reported that the former Sponsor Body had not engaged sufficiently with the public and other Palace users to understand what they wanted from a modern Parliament building. We recommended that members of the public are properly informed about the Programme and can contribute their views.55