IF THE refurbishment and much-needed repairs to the Houses of Parliament are going ahead at vast cost and if it’s not going to happen until 2025, then why not build a new Parliament in Manchester (or possibly some other middle of the country city), with on-site lodgings for MPs to use when needed?

This will stop the need for second residences and the exorbitant cost to us, the tax payer.

It is a bit more central to the country as a whole, accessible from most parts of the country, including the east and west sides, and certainly closer to Scotland and the most northern parts of England.

While the new building might cost a fair amount it would be nowhere near as much as revamping the existing premises. These could be turned into a visitors' attraction, social housing, all manner of alternatives that could create an income towards the cost of these buildings' upkeep, our NHS, social care, etc.

It is time this country recognised we can no longer afford the unacceptable cost of keeping our MPs in a style most people can only dream of. With the new generation, many having been bought up in poverty and want, the pomp and ceremony of these buildings and the huge costs it brings with it, I suspect is not looked on as good value or good practice.

Lucy Simpson

Kendal