Parliament's maintenance bill doubles after Holyrood move

Published on Saturday 16 September 2006 12:54

MAINTENANCE costs for the Scottish Parliament have more than doubled since MSPs moved to Holyrood.

And today one MSP warned the "wrong" original brief for the 431 million building meant taxpayers would face massive bills for the upkeep of the complex building long into the future.

Figures released by parliament bosses show the bill for repair and maintenance soared from 352,370 a year when MSPs were in their temporary accommodation at The Mound to 749,011 after the new building opened.

The costs at the new building include 38,815 for maintenance of the landscaped grounds and 35,304 for window-cleaning - which involves workmen abseiling down the side of the building.

Independent Conservative MSP Brian Monteith said it was clear the complexity of the Holyrood building was to blame for the rise in costs.

He said: "The cost of repair and maintenance

has doubled because it's an expensive building.

"Many MSPs had hoped the high costs of old and difficult-to-maintain buildings scattered around the city centre would be reduced by moving to a modern, state-of-the-art, ecologically-aware building on one site.

"But these figures show that not to be the case. And yet again the cause must be that the original brief set by Donald Dewar's advisers was the wrong one."

Mr Monteith warned the complex design of the building meant the high costs would continue.

He said: "I have no doubt over the years minor savings can be found, but we are now faced with living with what is an expensive and complicated building.

"In other words, the public is paying heavily for the self-indulgence of Scottish politicians."

When it was first established in 1999, the parliament met at the Church of Scotland Assembly Hall on The Mound and MSPs offices were based in the former Lothian Regional Council buildings on George IV Bridge, while their permanent home was being built at Holyrood.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question from Mr Monteith, SNP Lothians MSP Kenny MacAskill, on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, detailed how repair and maintenance costs fluctuated from 500,045 in 1999-2000 to 401,840 in 200-01, 424,692 in 2001-02, 386,093 in 2002-03 and 352,370 in 2003-04.

The following year, when parliament had to meet costs for both the old and new premises, the repair and maintenance bill soared to a massive 1,006,574. MSPs moved to Holyrood in September 2004.

But repair and maintenance costs for 2005-06, the first full-year with the new building up and running, totalled 749,011.

Mr MacAskill pointed out the parliament leased extra space in St Andrew Square from 2000-01 until 2004-05 and at the Tun from 2002-03 to 2004-05, the maintenance costs of which were not included in the figures.

Independent Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald said the high costs were due to "over-complicated and in some aspects over-fussy" design.

And she warned the bill could rise and rise again. She said: "My impression is we ain't seen nothing yet. There are certain surfaces and finishes - like some of the internal handrails - which are already showing signs of quite severe deterioration.

"I have no doubt some of these will have been custom made and therefore the cost of replacement is going to be much more expensive than going to the local builders' merchants - that is if the companies that supplied them are still in business to make replacement parts. As time goes on, the building will become more expensive to maintain and keep in proper repair."

A parliament spokesman said: "Holyrood is an award-winning building of individual and iconic design.

"More than 800,000 people have visited the building and can judge for themselves the merits of the architecture."