Brent and Harrow residents have been urged to have their say over changes to their fire service.
Conference Hall, Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley London HA9 0FJ at 7pm on Monday 11 January 2016
Local London Assembly Member Navin Shah AM made the call after the London Fire Brigade launched a consultation over proposals to meet £6.4m of budget cuts demanded by the Mayor. Local people are able to choose from two options, one which will see the permanent removal of 13 fire engines, and the other which will focus on back office efficiencies, allowing the 13 engines to be returned. A public meeting to discuss the future of fire services in North West, including Brent, will take place on 11th January.
Proposals set out in London Fire Brigade’s consultation include plans to permanently axe 13 fire engines, which could potentially see the removal of an engine at Willesden Fire station in Brent. However, Mr Shah warned that cutting more fire engines could exacerbate a recent rise in response times across the capital. 11 number of wards that have seen increases in Brent saw a rise in response times in 2014/15, when compared with the previous year, before Boris Johnson’s closure of 10 fire stations and scrapping of 14 engines.
Alternative proposals set out by Andrew Dismore AM, Chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority’s Resource Committee, would meet the savings target through back office efficiencies and changing working patterns, enabling the 13 engines to be returned.
A public meeting to discuss both proposals and their impact for North West, including Brent, will take place at Conference Hall, Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley London HA9 0FJ at 7pm on 11 January 2016.