By James simons-

Buckingham Palace will be refurbished over a 10 year period at the cost of £369m to the tax payer. a 10-year refurbishment costing the taxpayer £369m.

The announcement by the Treasury revealed that many aging cables and lead pipes will be replaced for the first time in 60 years because of fears about potential fire and water damage.

Royal trustees including the prime minister and the chancellor have recommended a temporary increase in the Sovereign Grant, suggesting that increase in the Grant was necessary.

Mr Johnstone-Burt said the investment in Buckingham Palace was necessary and considered very carefully, adding that the spending will help avert a much more costly and potentially catastrophic building failure in the years to come.”

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Buckingham Palace refurbishment

The Treasury have said that an “urgent overhaul” of the palace was needed to prevent the risk of fire, flood and damage to both the building and the priceless Royal Collection of art belonging to the nation. There was a hint from the Treasury that Buckingham Palace has suffered damage before, as they made reference to a five year renovation programme that Windsor Castle had to endure because of a fire in 1992.

The treasury estimated that similar damage to Buckingham Palace could cost up to £250m for a single wing”. Extreme figures, but this is the Monarchy, who must be allowed the top benefits that Royalty affords. It confirms their majestic position on the monarchical throne, but one still has to wonder if all that expenses is necessary, at the tax payers expense.

Republic, an anti- monarchy group, called for an “independent inquiry and full disclosure” into the use of taxpayers’ money.
The group said on Twitter: “Royal attitude always the same: it’s theirs to use and ours to pay for. Time we took the palace back and turned it into a world class museum.”

The palace is said to have very old boilers, with spare parts that are susceptible to fire. Some of them are as old as 40 years. The Queen said to spend over a third of the year hosting events at Buckingham Palace.

The Quee holds state banquets regularly, inviting special guests that include Presidents and heads of States. overriding argument would be that the money needs to be spent, despite being astronomical.

Assistant for the Treasury, David Gauke said he would ensure every penny was spent in a way that brings the best value for money. He added that Buckingham Place. He said it was right the Buckingham Palace was ‘’fit for purpose’’. The Palace has 775 rooms with many components in need of regular maintenance, according to the treasury group.

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