It’s been a tough eighteen months for staff in the Commons. Afflicted by Covid in the initial first wave, mothballed by restrictions and virtual proceedings, forced to dance to Mogg congas and mask up with face coverings, the Palace of Westminster has rarely felt like itself this past year-and-a-half. And now Mr S has found the figures to show Covid’s cost to the Commons after Parliament was forced to close its doors to visitors in March 2020.
Income from paid-for tours slumped from £2.1 million in 2019-20 to nil in 2020-21, according to a recently parliamentary answer by the House of Commons Commission. Staff had estimated to receive some £2.4 million, a significant chunk in income foregone. Catering costs spiralled to £4.6 million; retail ones rose to £850,000, with no education visits meaning a £600,000 reduction in the amounts spent on the school transport subsidy.
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