With prospect of MPs and peers relocating while a Parliamentary restoration and renewal programme takes place, a Bristol MP has repeated her calls on the government to ensure the city gets its share of job and apprenticeship opportunities that will be created by the project, the costs of which are expected to run to billions of pounds.
“There will understandably be speculation about where Parliament will do its business while the restoration project takes place, but I want to ensure the people I represent benefit from this major engineering and architectural project,” says Karin Smyth MP.
“It can deliver tangible, realistic and durable benefits for Bristol people that can ensure our great engineering city gets it share of the jobs and apprenticeships that will inevitably arise from this major project.
“It is vital that the very special heritage and talents of Bristol are properly recognised and that the city gets its share of the taxpayer investment that is bound to be needed to ensure the historic Houses of Parliament are restored and renewed.
“The economic benefits of this programme cannot be felt by London alone, and I will bat for Bristol to have the greatest possible involvement and stake in its success.”
A committee of MPs and Peers has been considering how to implement a project that will see the restoration of the Victorian Palace of Westminster, whose buildings have been deteriorating for decades. It could see MPs and peers leaving their traditional home from 2022 to 2028 whilst work is undertaken.
Karin Smyth toured the basement of Parliament to see for herself the scale of the work involved earlier this year.