I recently explained why I will be supporting the new London Safety Plan with its focus on maintaining attendance time standards but I also wanted to cover how the Fire Brigade has been making itself more financially efficient over the last few years.
Under the last government public spending grew faster than our ability to pay for it, this deficit created unprecedented levels of public borrowing. The new government is committed to cutting the deficit and bringing public spending under control, clearly that means difficult and unpopular decisions. The London Fire Brigade has borne its share of this spending restraint.
Cutting budgets is easy, you just cut them! Cutting budgets while protecting the delivery of public services is a more skillful activity and I’m proud that the Ron Dobson, London’s Fire Commissioner, and the Firefighters and Fire & Recuse Service Staff that he leads have done just that.
At its peak in the financial year 2010/11 of nearly £440 million a year, the Fire Brigade’s costs have come down to just under £380 million a year. Over that same period the Brigade has continued its excellent record of reducing deaths and injuries from fires, increasing its fire prevention work and beating our attendance time targets.
Our financial rigour has enabled the Mayor to fulfill his commitment to freeze and then cut his share of Londoners’ Council Tax bills. For a Band D property the Mayor’s share of the bill was £309 in 2009 which is coming down to £303 this year. If the bill had gone up by just 2% per year (much less than the increases actually imposed under Ken Livingstone) the bill this year would have been almost £370, meaning you are £66 better off.
The Fire Brigade’s proportion of this sum is quite small representing about £15 of that £66 saving but as a well-known supermarket brand says “every little helps”.
So you agree to the cuts because its saving londoners £6??
What about cutting the companies employed by the LFB. £300 to change lightbulbs etc. I reckon that would help as well. Ive seen that Bow Fire Station is closing down also. What about the possible life risk in the area. The Olympic village is on the stns ground. There will be an estimated 5 000 new homes available to East Londoners, 3 600 of which to come from the Olympic Village site. But Bow is still being closed?? Also with the possibility of a premier league football team moving in as well. I think the computer might have made a mistake.
Pingback: Why I’m backing London’s Fire Commissioner: Dealing with our people | James Cleverly AM·
Sir,
Firstly, the proposal for cuts is being sold to the public on the premise that attendance times will be met (and even improved in the suburbs), and the safety of the public will not be compromised. As we know, the attendance of the first, and in many cases, second appliance are insufficient to ensure a safe system of work. It is the full attendance and the resources available should the incident escalate that provide
safe systems and resilience. I fail to see how the swingeing cuts that
are proposed will allow for this. Take an incident like Lakanal flats as an example. How could that particular incident be adequately resourced and there be sufficient available resources to ensure resilience once the proposed cuts are made?
Secondly, if we are to believe the argument put forward by the Commissioner that the cuts will not have an adverse affect on safety, we must accept that the stations, appliances and personnel that are to be cut have been superfluous for some considerable time. It follows then that the budget deficit is really a blessing in disguise and allows us to streamline an over inflated service. I wonder if the communities that live on the affected stations grounds would accept that argument?
Pingback: If the Left say no to this London Fire Brigade plan, what is their alternative? | James Cleverly AM·
Pingback: Public consultation on London Fire Brigade changes | James Cleverly AM·