London Green Party Assembly Member Darren Johnson has criticised the Mayor of London for forcing London’s Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) to close ten fire stations, remove fourteen fire engines and axe 552 firefighter jobs. The Authority voted against these proposals on the 18th July.
The stations earmarked for closure are Belsize in Camden, Bow in Tower Hamlets, Clerkenwell in Islington, Downham in Lewisham, Kingsland in Hackney, Knightsbridge in Kensington and Chelsea, Silvertown in Newham, Southwark, Westminster and Woolwich in Greenwich.
Darren commented,
“The Mayor has completely ignored the concerns of the majority of the London 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.”