Hundreds of firefighters lobby over London cuts

Hundreds of firefighters from across London descended on the headquarters of the London Fire Authority on Monday of this week to lobby against cuts.

The authority has now come out against plans to close 12 fire stations and remove a fire engine from seven other stations across the capital. London mayor Boris Johnson still plans to push through the cuts.

Firefighter Graham Preston told Socialist Worker, “My local station, Woolwich is set to close. If this happens the time it takes to get to a fire will be longer—and an extra minute in a fire is a long time.”

Karl Haider is an FBU union rep at Homerton fire station. He said, “These closures will restrict cover, and it’s not just firefighters who’ll be affected. Rather than tax cuts for billionaires, we have to keep our fire stations open.”