New Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle spends £7,500 of taxpayers’ money replacing John Bercow’s ‘worn-out’ bed in the Palace of Westminster
- Sir Lindsay Hoyle has spent a total of £12,636 doing up his four-bedroom flat
- This included £7,523 on mattresses and bedding, according to an explanation
- The Commons Speaker spent £2,600 on cleaning and polishing furniture
The Commons Speaker has spent more than £7,500 of taxpayers’ cash on new bedding and mattresses for his home in the Palace of Westminster.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who replaced controversial John Bercow as Speaker last year, has spent a total of £12,636 doing up the four-bedroom flat, figures reveal.
This included £7,523 on mattresses and bedding which ‘was required as these had become damaged and/or worn and no longer deemed suitable for new occupants’, according to a note explaining the expense.
A total of £2,600 went on cleaning and polishing furniture while another £2,292 was spent on flooring, The Guardian reported.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle (pictured on July 15), who replaced controversial John Bercow as Speaker last year, has spent a total of £12,636 doing up the four-bedroom flat, figures reveal
The work took place last November and December. In the nine months since Sir Lindsay became Speaker £117,700 has been spent on the residence.
Most of this went on asbestos removal to support fire safety work, which cost £89,500.
Tory Mr Bercow spent £20,000 when he moved into the residence in 2009 to ‘make the apartment child-friendly’ for his young family.
Sir Hoyle on July 22. A total of £2,600 went on cleaning and polishing furniture while another £2,292 was spent on flooring, The Guardian reported
Sir Lindsay, 63, who has been Labour MP for Chorley since 1997, became the 158th Speaker in November.
A spokesman said last night: ‘After ten years of use by the previous post holder and his family – who used it as their primary home – the Speaker’s residence needs renovating, updating and fire safety improvement work to take place.’
He stressed the Palace of Westminster was Grade I-listed, so changes ‘need to be in keeping with the historic nature’.