The cost of the major repairs needed for the Houses of Parliament is rising by up to £420 million per year due to ongoing delays in starting work on it.

That comes from a National Audit Office report into the ongoing issue of what to do with the crumbling edifice of the UK Parliament estate. It’s an issue that’s been kicked down the grass for so long that the scaffolding poles that prop up parts of the building are in danger of becoming heritage items themselves.

Parliament currently spends around £1.5 million a week on maintenance of the Palace, including major refurbishment projects. This is forecast to increase to around £2 million a week between 2026 and 2030.

Although Parliament passed an act that will allow funding for the restoration works, there’s still a lot of debate about how they will be carried out.

The most cost-effective and least risky option for the project would be to empty the building entirely and relocate politicians elsewhere during the works.

Politicians are unhappy with the idea and are considering alternatives, such as partially emptying the building and relocating offices during the restoration works. That pushes costs up considerably and adds a decade or more to the delivery time.

Some of the options would take so long that a stonecarver could start work on the project as an apprentice, and still be working on it the day they retire.

The costs range from £11 billion to an eye-watering £56 billion.

However, each year of delay is estimated to add £320 million to £420 million to the overall cost of delivering the Programme. That’s mainly due to inflation, but also the longer the damage is left unrepaired, the more damage is caused, and repairs end up costing more to carry out.

While politicians dither and delay, the independent Restoration and Renewal Programme is seeking an initial £3 billion for a seven-year set of repairs, and also the work to develop and acquire temporary accommodation for the Houses – if they agree to move out.

In the meantime, look for mice running around behind politicians when they give interviews on the telly.

The full report is here.