Parliamentary staff including MPs are the only members allowed at the gym (Picture: PA)

Politicians signed up to an exclusive gym, for Parliamentary staff only, will have their daily workout improved with a £250,000 renovation courtesy of the British taxpayer.

Upgrades planned for Westminster Gym include a new spinning area with stationary bicycles, a new room to store towels, fixtures and fittings and the removal of damp.

Male and female showers will also be extended, while the interior will be subject to redecoration and the ventilation system will be improved.

The proposals are detailed in a document by House of Commons authorities and are expected to cost between £200,000 and £250,000 to complete.


The gym, which has 693 members, gets its income and profit from membership fees – the most expensive of which costs £47 a month.



The House of Commons receives a share of the profits and in tax year 2012/13 received £21,337.

There is also a sauna and exercise studio in the gym (Picture: PA)

The refurbishment comes just three years after the ventilation system in the basement area of the Commons, of which the gym is a part, was refurbished to the tune of £247,500.

A Commons spokesman said that the exact price of this phase of redevelopment is not yet known and will depend on the final plans.

‘The gym is open to all at Parliament and used by staff, and MPs and their staff,’ he said.

‘There will be a fair and open competition to tender for the refurbishment of this heavily used area of the parliamentary estate, including carrying out essential works to eliminate a problem with dampness in what is a grade two star listed building.’

Jonathan Isaby, from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, told the Daily Mirror: ‘Those of us who are members of a gym in the outside world expect refurbishments and improvements to be funded through our membership fees.

‘When there are other perfectly good gyms within walking distance of Parliament, why should the one exclusively for parliamentary passholders be subject to such a massive taxpayer subsidy?

‘The parliamentary authorities need to cut the taxpayers’ money being diverted into this facility and, if necessary, membership fees should be increased in order to cover its costs.’