Opponents slam Boris after announcement Kingsland Fire Station will close

By Hackney Citizen | Wednesday 7 August 2013 at 12:53

Kingsland Fire Station. Photograph: Francesca Fanshawe

Boris Johnson has been accused of ignoring concerns that the closure of Kingsland Fire Station will put lives at risk.

The Mayor of London has ordered the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority to press ahead with plans to close the station in Kingsland Road despite the fact that figures show this will result in increased response times in four Hackney wards.

Mr Johnson said the closure was necessary to make the fire service “financially stable”, but his opponents have criticised him for cutting services at the same time as cutting council tax.

11 other fire stations are also set to close.

Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe said he was “appalled” and “disgusted” by Mr Johnson’s decision.

He added: “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 per cent 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.”

Green London Assembly member Darren Johnson said: “The Mayor has completely ignored the concerns of the Assembly, the fire authority, and the 94 per cent of residents who responded to his consultation by opposing any station closures.

“Londoners made it very clear that they would prefer to see their life-saving public services remain intact, rather than getting a trifling 7p-per-week council tax cut. Government cuts are harsh but the Mayor is making a bad situation worse by insisting on council tax cuts too.”

North East London Assembly Member Jennette Arnold said: “Boris is cutting too far and all to fund his penny a day council tax cut. The mayor has asked if we want him to legally direct us to make these cuts, and our answer is a simple one – ‘No’.

“If he is serious about ensuring the safety of Londoners he needs to put his money where his mouth is and provide adequate funding.”

Boris Johnson said: “Ensuring that London’s Fire Service is financially stable and keeping Londoners safe are top priorities. I am perplexed as to why the Fire Authority has felt it necessary to lead the Service into an increasingly precarious position by not facing up to its fiscal responsibilities and by rejecting the sound professional judgement of the Fire Commissioner, a firefighter with over 20 years of experience.

“The London Safety Plan as proposed by the Commissioner on 18 July ensures that there is a balanced Fire Authority budget for 2014-15 and so that compulsory redundancies can be avoided. We need to move forward to face the challenges of 21st century firefighting.”

London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority Chairman James Cleverly said: “In light of the Mayor’s recent direction to the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, I understand that the residents of Hackney will be unsettled by the closure of Kingsland fire station but I’d like to reassure local people that fire engines from Homerton, Shoreditch, Stoke Newington, Bethnal Green and Holloway fire stations will all still be available to quickly attend, fight and prevent fires in the area, drawing from the 155 fire engines that will remain to cover the capital.”

He added: “Fire authorities across the UK are seeing reductions in Government grant and are expected to make frontline savings, so it is right and necessary that we make these changes, to ensure the London’s Fire Service is financially stable and we can avoid having to look into compulsory redundancies.”

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