• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Mayor to overrule Fire Authority vote on station closures

January 22, 2013 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

The Fire Authority has been asked to make £65m of cuts. Image: LFEPA
The Fire Authority has been asked to make £65m of cuts. Image: LFEPA
Boris Johnson says he will overrule a decision by the capital’s fire authority not to go-ahead with plans to close 12 fire stations.

The proposals are contained in a new draft London Safety Plan which was unveiled last week by Fire Commissioner Rob Dobson, and form part of the fire brigade’s efforts to meet budget cuts.

The closures have been criticised as “reckless and wrong” by the London Fire Brigade Union.

Before the closures can go-ahead, the London Fire Emergency and Planning (LFEPA) must authorise a public consultation on the draft London Safety Plan.

On Monday, Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat members of the Authority amended a motion approving the consultation, removing all mention of the closures in an attempt to block them.

However the Mayor, who sets the budget for LFEPA and appoints its members, says he will overrule the Authority by issuing a mayoral directive instructing the Commissioner to proceed with the consultation.

During the meeting, some Labour LFEPA members claimed the closures were unfairly focussed on council areas where their party was in office. Commissioner Dobson dismissed these claims, insisting that the plans were drawn up by him based on evidence and without the input of any politicians.

Green party Assembly Member Darren Johnson told the meeting that the Mayor could prevent the closures by reversing his decision to cut City Hall’s share of the council tax.

Speaking after the meeting, Mayor Johnson said the vote “demonstrates a complete lack of leadership” and said the debate “must and will be about improving London’s fire service, equipping the brigade for the challenges of 21st century firefighting, and maintaining our exceptional response times across both inner and outer London.”

Labour’s Navin Shah accused the Mayor of “forcing through these cuts against the wishes of Londoners” and called on him to “look at reallocating resources from the wider Greater London Authority budget” to safeguard the stations.

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Tagged With: Fire Brigade Cuts

RECENT UPDATES

852 new homes to be built in Acton by Transport for London

HGV operators in London urged to apply for a Direct Vision Standard permit

TfL proposes bus and tube cuts and annual fares increases to achieve long-term financial sustainability

London’s entire bus fleet now meets ULEZ emissions standards




Popular

1,700 extra Santander Cycles are coming to London’s streets

TfL confirms changes to Older Person’s Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card hours

TfL fares to rise in return for £1.6bn Government rescue package

Election for Mayor of London and London Assembly postponed until 2021

FEATURED

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.