Salmond urged to detail £3.5m renovations

The SNP leader was asked to “spell out” how the move could be made by keeping refurbishment costs within the £3.5 million budget the Scottish Government has pledged to stick to.

The Scottish Government denied reports that Mr Salmond wants to add a huge-conservatory style extension, glass dome and underground access tunnel to Governor’s House at a cost of £10m.

A spokesman said that any move to Governor’s House, which would have to be renovated to make it fit for a residence, would need to be “more cost effective” than the projected £3.5m cost of work at Bute House.

Historic Scotland is now preparing a cost study of the cheapest option for the First Minister’s official residence, with a report due to be handed to ministers by the end of the year.

However, Scottish Labour’s Shadow housing minister Lewis Macdonald called on the Scottish Government to publish full details of the options now being considered by officials.

He said: “Alex Salmond seems to have been eyeing up Governor’s House for some time.

“It would appear his ego has now even outgrown Bute House. This £3.5m figure seems to have been plucked out of thin air by Alex Salmond’s spin doctors.

“Alex Salmond needs to come clean on whose idea it was to move to this lavish new residence and spell out exactly how much each of the options will cost.

“Whatever happens, the SNP must demonstrate that Scottish taxpayers are getting the best possible value for money.”

However, the Scottish Government insisted that the reports yesterday of a £10m refurbishment cost and plans for a huge glass dome were “wrong and completely inaccurate”.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The figure of £3.5 million needed to refurbish and maintain Bute House is the assessment made by Historic Scotland this year.

“It involves not just the conservation work previously identified in 2007, but also the range of other expenditure and restructuring which Historic Scotland regards as necessary for Bute House as a First Minister’s residence – including disability access, lift work, and security. No proposals have been finalised by officials, no submission has been made to ministers, and therefore no decision has been taken.

“But, as the First Minister has made abundantly clear, any alternative provision would have to be demonstrated to be more cost effective than Bute House.

“Saving taxpayers’ money will be the key consideration, that is the bottom line. By definition, any alternative provision would have to be less than the projected £3.5 million cost of Bute House, and therefore the [£10m] story is entirely without foundation.”

A Historic Scotland spokeswoman said: “We are still working on the plan and it would be inappropriate to comment on the detail so far.”