You know Westminster palace is in dire need of repair and debating in the house of commons had to stop due to water flooding in through the roof recently?

So yes there probably would be 'cost savings'

Although Westminster Hall is on the estate and is part of the palace in terms of tours and so on, it isn't the part they want to refurbish.

It's too vast to be useful for much, but it does illustrate that the columns and so on in most buildings you do use are not actually obligatory (it doesn't have any). It's a bit like those huge buildings for building space rockets and jet liners, except built hundreds of years before the people who invented those were even born.

Fair point. :)

Though I thought it was just the palace, ie the Victorian bit put up after the fire (I'm not helping my case here, am I?), that was falling apart.