Two palaces in London - Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster - are in disrepair. There are leaks in the roofs, outdated wiring and plumbing, falling bricks, and even pests and critters that are living inside. Queen Elizabeth lives at Buckingham and British lawmakers work at Westminster. Crews say that renovations should be made immediately for safety reasons. However, it will be expensive - as much as $230 million for Buckingham and more than $5 billion for Westminster - and taxpayers do not want to foot the bill. Some suggest that Queen Elizabeth pay for the improvements to her home, which has 240 bedrooms and nearly 80 bathrooms. However, she does not actually own Buckingham Palace. Convincing the public to pay for the renovation is not easy, especially when the government has already announced spending cuts that will affect the nation’s poorest citizens. Others say that the two palaces must be repaired because they are government buildings, part of the nation’s history, and big tourist attractions. Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 and officially became the royal residence palace in 1837. The current Palace of Westminster was rebuilt in 1840 after a fire destroyed the original in 1834.
Two palaces in London - Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster - are in disrepair. There are leaks in the roofs, outdated wiring and plumbing, falling bricks, and even pests and critters that are living inside. Queen Elizabeth lives at Buckingham and British lawmakers work at Westminster.
Others say that the two palaces must be repaired because they are government buildings, part of the nation’s history, and big tourist attractions. Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 and officially became the royal residence palace in 1837. The current Palace of Westminster was rebuilt in 1840 after a fire destroyed the original in 1834.