Greg Edwards outside Clerkenwell Fire Station. Image: Matt Dathan
Clerkenwell Fire Station’s closure moved closer this week after the London Fire Authority abandoned their battle against the mayor’s plan to close fire stations across the capital.
But the Campaign to Save Clerkenwell Fire Station still hopes to prevent the closure by attracting enough public support with a number of public meetings.
Gregory Edwards, a Fire Brigades Union (LBU) official and leader of the Clerkenwell campaign, hopes the public consultations will convince mayor Boris Johnson of the need to keep Europe’s oldest fire station open.
“We want as many people to come and say that they’re opposed to these cuts and want to keep the service as it is in London,” he said.
“If we can prove that the vast majority of people in London don’t want their stations closed then we’ll throw that back at the Mayor.”
He said it is essential that Clerkenwell Fire Station is kept open as it serves the most densely populated borough in England and Wales, with almost 14,000 people per square kilometre.
The plan to close 12 fire stations across the capital, which cover a total area of 57 square kilometres, was approved by the Greater London Assembly on 25 February after Mr Johnson’s budget was narrowly voted through.
But Mr Edwards believes the mayor is making the £45m fire service cuts for political reasons. He claims the stations could be saved if the 7p cut in council tax was reversed.
He said: “He doesn’t appear to be taking the issue seriously. He’s talking about something that could ultimately affect the lives of people both living in London and who work in London.
The Fire Authority held an emergency meeting on 26 February, during which the councillors who had been blocking the budget backed down in the face of an expensive court battle. They instead passed a motion that aims to delay any cuts until the next financial year.
The mayor responded to the decision and said: “I’m glad that the Fire Authority has finally accepted the need to give Londoners the chance to consult on the Fire and Safety Plan, something I’ve been urging them to do for weeks. Their tactics proved pointless and an unnecessary waste of time.”
The Fire Authority now hopes the public consultation process, which was opened on Monday and runs until the end of May, will generate a compromise.