Further Reading
Member News
By Philippa Silverman - 21st October 2010
The House of Commons is to plan a "fundamental review" of its operations in response to reductions being made to public spending to deal with the budget deficit.
The Commons Commission is already due to make savings of £12m this year, with price increases in the bars and restaurants used by MPs, peers or workers in the Palace of Westminster.
A wider programme is now underway to discover further belt-tightening measures to reduce the Commons' budget by at least 17 per cent by 2014/15.
Officials had already said they would cut back on the amount of repairs and maintenance work around Parliament, as well as "scaling back" other projects.
In a statement, Commons Speaker and chair of the commission, John Bercow said: "The level of savings demanded by the current financial climate calls for a fundamental review of the services provided by the House.
"House management will work to identify where and how it can best be restructured to run most efficiently in future while more effectively achieving its aims. The Commission will take a decision on how best to proceed by the end of the year."
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.