Recommendation 27

The Programme SRO recognises that to achieve the ambitious timetable, the R&R Client Team will need to improve its parliamentary engagement.63 The Programme SRO and Delivery Authority Chief Executive envisage that recent governance changes will lead to more political ownership, and therefore engagement, across Parliament as decision- makers including the Speakers and House Leaders will be more involved in the process.64 However, all witnesses also reinforced the need to get Member engagement right, crucial over the next year.65 The R&R Client Team will be leading the engagement to find out what Members feel, what they think might be acceptable and what matters to them. The Programme SRO recognised their engagement plans as ambitious, requiring lots of work particularly in the run-up to significant decisions. This included planning more focused engagement using existing communication networks, targeted one-to-one Member briefings and liaising with parliamentary committees.66 57 Q 113 58 Q 86 59 Restoration and Renewal Client Board meeting, 17 October 2022 60 Letter from Liz Peace, Chair of Sponsor Body December 2022 61 C&AG’s report, Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster: Progress Update, HC1016, Session 2021–22, 21 January 2022 62 Committee of Public Accounts, Tenth Report of Session 2022–23, Restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster, HC 49, 29 June 2022 63 Q 86 64 Qq 82–83,86 65 Qq 62, 83, 86 66 Q 82 Restoration & Renewal of the Palace of Westminster – 2023 Recall 17