London Fire Brigade's proposals to close 17 stations

The fire brigade attend the scene as around 1,500 people were forced to leave the Hilton in Park Lane, London, due to a fire in a kitchen. Credit: PA

The Mayor of London has defended proposals to cut more than a dozen fire stations and hundreds of jobs.

Boris Johnson was answering questons at City Hall this morning about the planned cuts.

The Fire Brigades Union has expressed grave concerns over proposals by the London Fire Brigade to close 17 fire stations and slash around 600 jobs.

LFB fire stations earmarked for closure are:

  • Acton

  • Belsize

  • Bow

  • Clapham

  • Clerkenwell

  • Downham

  • Islington

  • Kensington

  • Knightsbridge

  • New Cross

  • Peckham

  • Silvertown

  • Southwark

  • Westminster

  • Whitechapel

  • Woolwich

LFB stations which would see a reduction in their firefighting capability:

  • Chingford

  • Hayes

  • Leyton

  • Leytonstone

The plans, which were revealed in a leaked document, look set to be put before a meeting of the London fire authority on 22nd November.

The brigade was told by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to save £65m over two years, and senior managers have been working on proposals to meet that demand.