THE iconic Houses of Parliament are in need of refurbishment and the Speaker is looking for a new, but temporary, location for Parliament to sit.

Let me save him the shoe leather and suggest that Parliament moves to Brussels.

After all, the majority of our laws and the dictats governing our lives are already made there.

Colin Mortimer, Pity Me.

IT has been announced that Parliament is moving to Covent Garden while maintenance work takes place on the Palace of Westminster.

I understand the original estimate for the work is £3bn.

We must ask three questions: Will the renovation of Westminster actually cost £3bn?

Will the maintenance and renovation of Westminster work anyway?

Why is it costing so much?

Remembering what happened over the Scottish parliament – Holyrood, in Edinburgh – I suggest the work will cost far more than £3bn.

Renovating Westminster and turning it into a modern building will not work because of the caste iron nature of much of its structure built in Victorian times following a fire.

Why is it costing so much?

Manchester Town Hall is about the same age and size with just as many people working in it.

The renovation of Westminster is turning into a classic British civil service fiasco.

Let us stop it now before we repeat the folly of Holyrood.

Why not ask Manchester City Council if it wants to tender for the job? Turn Westminster into a museum. The facilities it has will be enough to keep it open.

Westminster only falls short as a modern office environment if thousands of people have to work in it.

Perhaps we should move Parliament out of London? It would certainly save money and travel expenses.

Nigel Boddy, Darlington