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£32m: the cost of refurbishing these offices for just 117 peers
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent21.05.08
The House of Lords is spending £32 million refurbishing a suite of offices for 117 peers and their secretaries, the Evening Standard can reveal.
The sum covers fittings including £130,000 on chandeliers, £60,000 on sandblasted glass, £84,000 on cupboard doors and £70,000 to polish oak fittings.
Other costs include catering facilities, a library, hi-tech lighting and heating for each office, external solar shading and blast-resistant windows.
The spending comes on top of the £65 million spent by Parliamentary authorities in buying three buildings across the road from Westminster to provide peers with extra space.
The Lords' administration and works committee has agreed to spend £ 31.8million doing up the Millbank offices, equivalent to £271,800 for each peer who will work in the "stream-lined and flexible office environment".
The Liberal Democrats tried to block the refurbishment budget, which has gone up £414,232 in the last six months, but were overruled by Labour and Tory peers. Lib-Dem Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott said: "Members of the House of Lords are in Parliament to serve the people, not sting them.
"How can I tell taxpayers struggling with their mortgages to fork out £272,000 to refurbish my office, or ask a homeless family to chip in for the chandeliers?
"We don't need a Rolls-Royce refurbishment to do our job. The refurbishment must be practical, affordable and proper value for taxpayers' money."
Parts of the property, to be known as Millbank Island, will be rented out to companies, but the rest will have a makeover. The Parliamentary authorities secured a 999-year lease on the neighbouring properties at 1 Millbank, Millbank House and 5 Great College Street three years ago.
In a report, the Lords committee said: "The project board has undertaken to review carefully the level of restoration and furnishing of the building to ensure an appropriate balance between aesthetic delivery and cost."
The peers limited plans for an expensive mosaic floor which will now only cover "minimal areas" and saved £92,000 by rejecting "light shelf " units.
They also agreed to investigate whether the £70,000 cost of stone poultice cleaning was necessary.
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