Covid-19 delays to see further hike in £80m Big Ben tower repair bill
The soaring cost of restoring Parliament’s Big Ben clock tower is to rise even further with the coronavirus pandemic delaying the 2021 completion date.
The refurbishment of the Westminster landmark, which has already spiralled to £80 million, is not now expected to be finished until next year as a result of the Covid-19 crisis holding up work.
The additional costs to the project, which was originally priced at £29.7 million, are currently being assessed, according to the authorities.
The ballooning budget for the Elizabeth Tower, which remains swathed in scaffolding, has previously triggered a warning by a spending watchdog in the face of the planned multibillion-pound revamp of Parliament.
The National Audit Office cited the 176% hike in costs as it stressed the need for MPs and peers in charge of the wider restoration project to keep a firm grip on the finances.
Details of the delay to work on the Elizabeth Tower were revealed in a parliamentary written answer to former Navy chief Lord West of Spithead, who had asked a question about the cost of the refurbishment and when it would be completed.
In his response, Lord Vaux of Harrowden, who chairs the Lords Finance Committee, said: “Covid-19 has restricted the progress of the refurbishment.
“The completion date will be later than the planned 2021 date and is now expected in 2022.
“Further information on the revised completion date will be announced once the schedule of works is finalised.”
He added: “The original outline business case for the Elizabeth Tower assessed the costs at £29.7 million.
“In 2017, the final business case for the Elizabeth Tower was approved at a value of £61 million, subsequently revised in February 2020 to £79.7 million.
“The additional costs due to the impact of Covid-19 are currently being assessed.”
A further increase in the price of the clock tower’s restoration will again shine a spotlight on the renewal of the entire parliamentary estate, under which it is planned to vacate the whole site for at least six years.
The NAO has said the £4 billion cost previously reported was likely to be a “median” figure, with the final outlay on the Unesco World Heritage Site expected to be higher.
Initial estimates put the final bill as high as £6 billion, with the builders expected to be in until the 2030s.
Hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent on maintaining the ageing estate and the costs are forecast to increase further without extensive restorative works.
Along with falling masonry, concerns have also been raised about the risk of a devastating fire, leading to round-the-clock patrols.