London,
06
August
2013
|
11:24
Europe/London

Mayor of Hackney opposes fire station closure

The Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe has spoken out following the announcement that the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has over ruled the London Fire Authority to force through cuts and fire station closures.

Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney
I'm appalled by the decision and disgusted that, despite Hackney putting forward very strong evidence in support of Kingsland station staying open, the Mayor of London has over ruled the LFA in pushing ahead with the closure. It means response times for engines reaching six wards – or one third of Hackney - will be well over the LFB's target, increasing by almost 75% in one case. Residents will also be concerned to learn that the revised plans include reducing the number of fire fighters by 552, instead of the original proposal of 520, as well as minimum crew levels cut from five to four. I understand the need to make savings, but response times are absolutely vital in fire fighting and these cuts come at a time when our borough's population and tourism economy is continuing to grow – we need more support, not less.
Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney

The report, which the London Fire Authority voted against, followed a 15 week consultation on the Brigade's Draft Fifth London Safety Plan.

The cuts will:

  • Close 10 fire stations
  • Reduce the number of fire engines (pumping appliances) by 14
  • Reduce the number of fire rescue units (specialist rescue vehicles) from 16 to 14
  • Reduce minimum crewing levels on fire rescue units from 5 firefighters to 4
  • Reduce the number of firefighter posts overall by 552

The fire stations set to close are:

  1. Belsize
  2. Bow
  3. Clerkenwell
  4. Downham
  5. Kingsland
  6. Knightsbridge
  7. Silvertown
  8. Southwark
  9. Westminster
  10. Woolwich