Holyrood authorities spent more than £3 million building a new website for the Scottish parliament.
The online presence was overhauled to comply with new laws around readability and accessibility. The old site is still available to support certain features but the new version is supposed to work better on mobile devices and provide a better experience for users.
There have been complaints from politicians and staff members about the new site, raising the prospect that more money could be spent on further tweaks and upgrades.
In a letter to Rachael Hamilton, the Scottish Conservative MSP, parliamentary authorities confirmed that the cost of the project was £3,038,000.
The Times reported this month that kitchen taps costing £4,200 each are set to be installed in the Scottish parliament. Ten of the devices, which dispense instant boiling and chilled filtered water, have been ordered.
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Hamilton said the cost of the new website was “an affront to the Scottish taxpayer” and would anger voters.
“I was shocked when I received a response to my initial query about the entire cost of the replacement, given I have had constituents complain to me that it is a poorer version of the old website,” she said. “I believe it is important we see transparency and value for money embedded in everything the Scottish parliament procures and spends public money on.
“From new taps to new websites, at a time when household incomes are tight and the price of fuel is skyrocketing, many people will find this news hard to stomach.” It is understood that the Scottish parliament used existing Scottish government procurement frameworks to source expertise in software, content management system and IT expertise.
In a written response to Hamilton, who has unsuccessfully tried to raise questions about the cost in Holyrood’s debating chamber, the Scottish parliament said building the new website was “a significant and complex change project”.
In another letter to Hamilton, a Holyrood official said the costs of the project to build a new website, which was launched in 2017, “were primarily attributable to engaging external expertise during the life of the project to ensure that we delivered a sustainable, modern website which we can continue to build on in the years to come”.
