Bute House upkeep bill tops £230,000

Published on Monday 12 May 2008 22:12

MORE than £230,000 has been spent on the First Minister's official residence in the past four years, it was revealed yesterday.

Figures released by the Scottish Government showed that bills for work at Bute House in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, amounted to 234,473.

The figure included 30,387 for refurbishing bathrooms and redecorating the cabinet room after a "serious leak". That was in 2006-7 – the same year 110,000 was spent on maintenance and repair to external stonework and windows at numbers 5, 6 and 7 Charlotte Square.

Other bills that year were 880 for upgrading security, 377 for repairing the drawing-room carpet and 627 for remedial work on the cooker canopy.

The previous year saw a 16,006 refurbishment of the catering kitchen, along with new controls for the disabled lift at a cost of 5,373.

A security upgrade in 2004-5 cost 35,000. The only "substantial item of expenditure" in 2007-8 was 8,309 for the inspection, cleaning and maintenance of the chimneys. Alex Salmond took up residence last year, from Jack McConnell.