16 hours ago
Fury at 'unacceptable' waste as Parliament brings in new £150k-a-year 'commercial' boss after Lords shambles over £10m gates that don't work
Fresh fury has been aimed at Parliament's 'unacceptable and unnecessary' spending following the hiring of a new top boss on a bumper salary.
The role of 'chief commercial officer' - based at the Palace of Westminster - has been advertised with a salary of around £150,000.
But it has been claimed the total cost of the hire will be nearer £1million over the next four years, at a time when other budgets are being squeezed.
This is once pension contributions and other costs, such as a headhunting fee, are factored in.
Lord Hayward, the Tory peer, also used a letter to Parliament's management to hit out at 'obfuscation' as to whether it is an 'additional role'.
The appointment comes amid plans to establish a joint commercial department between the House of Commons and House of Lords.
'In the private sector merging departments normally results in a reduction of staff but it would appear not in Parliamentary management terms,' Lord Hayward wrote.
The former MP also highlighted other examples of eye-watering spending, including £9.6million on a new front door that doesn't open properly.
Fresh fury has been aimed at Parliament's 'unacceptable and unnecessary' spending following the hiring of a new top boss on a bumper salary.
Lord Hayward added: 'At a time when all aspects of government and individuals are having to cut expenditure severely... management of the parliamentary estate seem willing to spend money on costs which any ordinary person would find unacceptable and unnecessary.'
There is a new front door at the main entrance to the House of Lords, known as the Peers' Entrance, following the approval of an upgrade in March 2022.
It has since sparked anger after its £9.6million cost was revealed - a nearly 60 per cent increase from the original estimate of £6.1 million.
Peers said earlier this month it is still not fully accessible for disabled peers and requires a permanent member of staff on site 'to press the button to open the door'.
In his letter, Lord Hayward said the 'ongoing cost of security at Peers' Entrance appears to be... more than £2,500 per week'.
'Why is the taxpayer even covering for this?,' he added.
Lord Hayward also criticised the ongoing cost of employing 'traffic marshals' on the parliamentary estate, when he claimed there were 'much cheaper alternatives'.
'The most public example of this ongoing cost which management appears willing to accept is the marshal at carriage gates,' he wrote.
'They have no role. The police and security control the vehicles and public going in and out of the estate.
'This individual position doing nothing costs at minimum £66,000 per annum.
'Can I please ask when parliamentary management is intending to acknowledge that it is spending unwarranted sums while individuals, the nation and government are short of money?'
A House of Lords spokesperson said: 'Providing services that are value for public money is a key priority for the House of Lords Administration, as is ensuring effective systems of governance and financial management are in place to support this.
'Our approach is subject to rigorous oversight by the House Finance and Audit and Risk Assurance Committees and is set out transparently in our annual report and accounts.'
