Parliament: Costs of Elizabeth Tower repair doubles to £61 million

Repair costs for the Elizabeth Tower, the face of Parliament, have climbed to £61 million - double the original estimation.

Parliamentary authorities revealed on Friday that work to the tower, housed in the Palace of Westminster, had soared in price from £29 million.

Part of the maintenance work includes the cleaning and repair of the Great Clock and Big Ben, whose bongs were silenced for four years last month.

The renovation also invoved the installation of a lift.

Bens deafening chimes were stopped to protect workers while they renovated the Elizabeth Tower.

The House of Commons and House of Lords Commissions were told that the increase in costs is due to a better understanding of the complexity of the work needed to restore the tower.

A spokeswoman for the House of Commons said: "The commissions expressed their disappointment in the cost increases, and the unreliability of the original estimate.

"They instructed officials to provide regular updates on progress and costs to the relevant domestic committees so they can keep the commissions fully informed of the project."

And in a joint statement the clerk of the House of Commons, the clerk of the Parliaments and the director general of the House of Commons, said: "We acknowledge that there have been estimating failures and we understand the concern of the commissions.

"In advance of tendering contracts, the initial high level estimates were set at a lower level to avoid cost escalation from the market.

"Subsequent estimates, using better data and more extensive surveys, better reflect the true likelihood of the costs.