Overview

• Project costs jumped from an initial £6.1 million estimate to £9.6 million after members demanded continuous access during sittings and heritage work increased complexity
• A staff member must now be permanently stationed at the door to press a button and allow entry, undermining the intended automated security system
• Peers warned from the outset that the design would force queuing outside and create vulnerability, and a recent incident saw a wheelchair user denied access
• Critics including Lord Forsyth say cost details were repeatedly withheld on security grounds, fueling accusations of financial mismanagement
• Leader of the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon has vowed to resolve the malfunction and determine whether the door can ever meet the chamber’s operational needs