Boris Johnson’s plan to privatise Fire Brigade control centre puts Londoners at risk

Ken Livingstone and Val Shawcross AM have called on Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson to drop plans to rush through the privatisation of the London Fire Brigade control centre. The control centre deals with an average of 2.5 million calls a year and exceeds it’s performance targets for dealing with calls from the public.

In 2008 Boris Johnson appointed Conservative Assembly Member and Barnet Councillor, Brian Coleman to run the London Fire Authority (LFEPA). When asked ‘are there any functions of LFEPA that you believe are inappropriate for take-over by private operators?’ Brian Coleman replied ‘No, in the right circumstances.’

According to London Fire Authority (LFEPA) documents, Brian Coleman is pushing through plans to privatise the control centre by March 2012.


Ken Livingstone said,

"Under a Tory Mayor and his Tory fire supremo Conservative ideology is being put before the interests of ordinary Londoners.  "Londoners not shareholders must come first.

"London's mayor should be protecting our emergency services not privatising them. I cannot think of a more unjustifiable, foolish or dangerous policy under this mayor than privatising the control centre of the fire brigade. It is a new low.

"My commitment to Londoners is that I will campaign flat out against this plan, and from the outset of my administration, if I am elected, there will be a fresh approach at the Fire Brigade - and Boris Johnson's privatiser in chief, Brian Coleman, will be sacked as the chair of the fire authority."


Val Shawcross AM said,

“The timetable for pushing forward the privatisation of London’s control centre looks to be driven by political considerations, rushing it through before the Mayoral elections next year.

‘This Conservative privatisation threatens to completely undermine the quality of service and response times. Any problems with the control centre's operations need to be fixed immediately – under Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative Chair of the Fire Authority Brian Coleman’s plans there would be a slow and cumbersome contract penalty process.  

‘It is vital that Londoners can have complete confidence when they dial 999 that they are dealing with a first class emergency response service, not an out-sourced service which is more concerned with profits than people.”

Ends



Notes for editors:


1. Brian Coleman refuses to rule out wholesale privatisation of London Fire Brigade

 (iv) Question No. 285 – by Mr Mike Tuffrey AM
 In light of FEP 1703 ‘Proposed response to DCLG consultation on the Future of Fire Service Control Rooms in England and replacement of our existing mobilising system’ which states “responsibility for day to day service delivery should then be outsourced wherever possible” are there any functions of LFEPA that you believe are inappropriate for take-over by private operators?

The following reply was circulated to all Members prior to the Authority:-

Brian Coleman - No, in the right circumstances.

Mr Tuffrey – Clearly there are cases where it makes sense to buy in goods and services: we don’t
build our own fire stations; we don’t build our own fire engines; we don’t even maintain our own fire
engines, although that is a topic for further discussion later on in the agenda. But to say that we
should outsource services wherever possible, does that not mean that essentially you are saying,
ideologically speaking, you prefer the profit motive as the basic approach? I’m not sure that
Londoners will agree that the profit motive is the way to run the fire service. So can I invite you to re-phrase your answer to say – “Only in the right circumstances”?

Chairman – My answer stands.

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2. Timetable for privatisation

On the 15th March the Finance and Personnel Committee of the London Fire Authority agreed:

That the Finance and Personnel Committee recommend the Authority agrees that –
1. the response to the DCLG consultation on the future of fire and rescues control services in England is approved;
2. the general policy approach, detailed in paragraphs 4-6, be adopted; and
3. That the proposal to commence procurement for a refresh or replacement of the mobilising system is approved. This process to commence immediately and a report to be brought to the Authority for decision no later than March 2012.




3. London Fire Brigade Control centre performance

Between 2007 and 2010 the control centre improved it’s response to calls answered in 7 seconds, from 85% in 2007/8 to over 91% in 2010/11.

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