London Mayor Boris Johnson condemned over plan to close Hackney fire station

Facing closure: Kingsland fire station. Photograph: Francesca Fanshawe

Plans to close Kingsland fire station have been condemned as “reckless” as dramatic cuts to London’s fire service are revealed.

The station is one of a total of 17 fire stations across London set to close under plans that were leaked after Boris Johnson refused to disclose details at Mayor’s Question Time on Wednesday 17 October.

The plans, which from part of a £65 million budget cut to London’s fire service over the next two years, could see the loss of around 600 jobs.  Firefighters have been asked to consider voluntary redundancy.

The cuts are understood to be the fire authority’s “preferred option” and will also include the removal of fire appliances from four stations.

Jennette Arnold OBE, Assembly Member for North East London, called the plans “reckless”, saying: “Whilst savings have to be made, these should not be at the expense of frontline fire cover. The cuts are too far and too fast.”

Speaking on behalf of the local de Beauvoir ward councillors, Cllr Tom Ebbutt warned: “The Kingsland Fire Station serves both the people of De Beauvoir and the surrounding areas. If it were to close, the nearest fire stations to the area would be Old Street, Stoke Newington or Homerton.

“All three are a significant distance from the De Beauvoir, Dalston and Haggerston areas of Hackney and also the Canonbury area of Islington.

“The closure of this fire station would increase response times thereby putting local residents at risk and increasing the risk of fire causing serious harm or loss of life in the area.”

The issue of closures was raised at Mayor’s Question Time at City Hall in response to a speech made by Boris Johnson at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham last week.

The London Mayor had said that he would “open up the Greater London Authority’s property portfolio” to find premises for new free schools.

Assembly Member Navin Shah, lead Labour Group member for London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), accused the mayor of putting his “political ambitions before his duty to keep London safe.”

Mayor Johnson told the London Assembly that any cuts would cause no “reduction in fire cover in the city” and that emergency response times would remain the same.

He added that the number of fires in London had fallen by half over the past decade and fatalities had been cut by a third.

London Assembly member Jennette Arnold said: “The Mayor is not being honest with Londoners, as it is impossible to close Kingsland and it not to have an impact on the safety of my constituents. I will fight these plans tooth and nail.”

Darren Johnson, Deputy Chair of the London Assembly and member of LFEPA, called the scale of cuts “draconian,” saying: “I welcome the decision of LFEPA to protect the service.”

Paul Embery, the Fire Brigade Union’s regional secretary for London, said: “The stations under threat of closure have stood proudly for generations, protecting local residents from bombs, fire and terrorism, yet Boris Johnson is about to hammer a ‘For Sale’ sign on to their front doors.”

The plans, which are thought to be subject to change depending on the final budget, are expected to be discussed by LFEPA in November.

Other stations in line for closure are Acton, Belsize, Clerkenwell, Downham, Islington, Kensington, Knightsbridge, New Cross, Silvertown, Southwark, Westminster, Woolwich, Bow, Clapham, Kingsland, Peckham and Whitechapel.

Stations to get extra appliance are Chiswick, East Greenwich, Euston, Hendon, Orpington, Purley, Southgate, Stanmore and Twickenham.

Stations that are to remain open under the proposals are those in Barking, Battersea, Croydon, Dagenham, Dockhead, East Ham, Edmonton, Hammersmith, Harold Hill, Harrow, Heston, Holloway, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Leytonstone, Millwall, Mitcham, Old Kent Road, Orpington, Paddington, Plaistow, Purley, Shadwell, Stratford, Walthamstow, Wembley and West Norwood.