a day ago
Fury as House of Lords spends £9.6MILLION on a new front door... and it doesn't even work
The House of Lords has spent nearly £10million on a front door that does not work, it has been revealed.
Peers vented fury at the 'disaster' after forcing Leader of the House Baroness Smith of Basildon to disclose the massive costs.
Despite the huge bill, a member of staff needs to be by the entrance around the clock to press a button that opens it. There are questions about whether it will ever work properly.
The Lords authorities have refused to give figures on the spending for months, arguing that doing so could help terrorists plotting attacks.
But pressed by Tory ex-minister Lord Forsyth yesterday, 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.'
The Cabinet minister said: '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 £6.1million 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 £9.6million.'
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.'
It is not clear whether the £9.6million figure cited includes VAT.
Members said they had warned the ruling Lords Commission from the start that the design would not work.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean 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.'
