Emergency services being devastated, London Assembly warns

Emergency services are being “devastated” in East London with fire-stations at Whitechapel, Bow, Silvertown and Dalston-Kingsland under threat, London Assembly members are warning.

The Assembly’s Budget chairman John Biggs, who represents east London at City Hall, demanded at yesterday’s Assembly meeting that Mayor Boris Johnson should “reconsider and abandon his draconian cuts” to police and fire services.

“We’re seeing the unacceptable and dangerous face of deep cuts,” he said. “The Mayor has direct responsibility for the closure of police and fire stations, but has tried to duck and dive when questioned directly about cuts on his watch.

“The cuts are going too far and too fast and will endanger families and communities.”

The London Fire Brigade is facing cuts due to the government reducing its budget by a quarter, around �65 million in total, the Assembly’s Labour group pointed out.

Added to this is the Ambulance Service losing �53m, resulting in 890 jobs going, while the Met Police budget is being cut by 12 per cent after having already lost nearly 1,500 officers and 2,000 support personnel in the past two years.