Senedd runs up £100,000 repairs

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Repairs to the Senedd, the Welsh assembly building in Cardiff Bay, have reached nearly Â£100,000 in the two years since it opened.

Figures show that more than Â£18,000 was spent on electrical repairs with plumbing costs of over Â£16,000.

An Assembly Commission spokesman said it was part of normal wear and tear.

But the Welsh Conservatives said it was worrying that large amounts of public money were being spent on the building so soon after it opened.

The taxpayer picked up the bill for Â£97,709, but that figure does not include costs incurred by builders Taylor Woodrow.

The building, designed by Lord Rogers, cost Â£67m and was officially opened by the Queen on 1 March, 2006.

The figures obtained by the Welsh Conservatives include:

* Â£18,472 spent on electrical repairs.

* Â£16,814 spent on plumbing.

* Â£15,731 spent on doors.

* Â£13,767 spent on windows.

Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne said: "There is no doubt that in its short life the Senedd has become an iconic building.

"But it is a real concern that a building we were promised would last 100 years is being patched up so soon after it opened."

A spokesman for the Assembly Commission, which is responsible for the Senedd, said there was nothing unexpected in the costs.

"Hundreds of thousands of tourists come through the door each year so there's a lot of wear and tear," he said.

"These figures are not excessive and are covered by existing budgets."

The Â£67m cost of the building was more than five times original estimates.

But it has won praise for its environmentally-conscious, energy-saving features.

The building first showed signs of a leak soon after its opening by the Queen.

And in September this year a committee meeting had to be halted when water started dripping through the ceiling.