New House of Lords front door that cost almost £10 million does not work

South Wales Guardian

20 hours ago

The project has been described as 'a complete white elephant and a disaster'.
Peers heard a member of parliamentary staff had to be permanently stationed at the door to press a button to open it.
It also emerged that the price tag of the project spiralled by nearly 60% from the original estimate of £6.1 million.
Leader of the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon said it was 'completely unacceptable' to have a door that did not work properly, and she shared the frustrations, upset 'and every other adjective' members wished to use.
There was also a question over whether it would ever be fully operational, she suggested.
The bill for what has been described at Westminster as 'one of the most expensive front doors in the world' was made public after peers raised concerns that their requests for the cost of the scheme had been repeatedly stonewalled by the authorities on security grounds.
They also said they had warned from the start that the design would not work.
Members of the Lords vented their annoyance as they heard plans for commercial procurement in Parliament to be transferred into a new joint department of both Houses.
While welcoming the administrative changes, Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean pressed Lady Smith, who sits on the House of Lords Commission, over the cost of the new front door at the Peers' Entrance.
He said: 'Very senior members of this House and members of the commission have been told repeatedly that they cannot know the cost of the front door, because if they knew the cost of the front door that would enable terrorists to work out what the security is surrounding it.
'I suspect that the costs of the front door make it one of the most expensive front doors in the world, and it is a front door that does not work.
'Various Members from all sides of the House protested right at the beginning that this design would not work, as it would result in people having to queue outside to get in and they would therefore be more vulnerable.
'We were told that no, it had been carefully designed and the system had been looked at, but we now discover that we need somebody permanently there to press the button to open the door.
'The other evening someone in a wheelchair was unable to access the House. It is a complete white elephant and a disaster.'
The Conservative peer added: 'I do not wish to be unkind to any of the staff who serve this House or to underestimate the difficulties of dealing with a historic building of this kind, but it is simply not acceptable that public money should be spent in this way with such disastrous consequences, with no-one being held to account and no knowledge of the associated costs.'
Tory former minister Lord Robathan said: 'If this were in the private sector, I am afraid that people would be sacked.'
Lady Smith said: 'On the door itself, there are two issues, cost and operability.
'It is completely unacceptable that we have a door that does not operate as it should.'
On the cost she said there was 'wildly exaggerated and incorrect information', adding: 'It is important that we are secure, so the costs of the door are very high. It is not just the security issue but also the heritage issue.
'The initial estimate was £6.1 million for the door. That increased because it was the request of members that it should remain open during the duration of the works when the House was sitting.
'The fact that it could not be closed off to get on with the work meant the cost increased – plus some other issues around heritage were discovered. The total cost has been £9.6 million.'
She added: 'That is high, but what is more serious is that, having spent that money, the door does not work.
'That is a huge frustration to everybody.
'One of the reasons that it is not the same as other security pods on the estate is that it has to be fully accessible for those who have mobility issues and wish to use mobility aids or wheelchairs.
'The information I have is that the work that has been ongoing to address the problems has not cost the House any more beyond that.
'However, there is a window where a decision has to be taken on whether or not it will ever be fully operational and serve the needs of this House.
'I share the frustrations, the upset and every other adjective members may wish to use.'
Lady Smith told peers: 'When we spend that much money on something that does not work, the key thing is that it is resolved, and that is what I am focused on.'