Boris gets it wrong on LFEPA

There is some tension between London’s Tory mayor Boris Johnson and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), which has oversight of how the London Fire Brigade is run. Boris collects the money that funds the fire service: as he’s quite keen on collecting as little money as possible and doing his bit to cut public spending, he wants to see the service make cuts. On the other hand, LFEPA members seem to have some vestigial feeling that they want to put the service first – hence the possibility of clashes.

Now Boris has resorted to that favourite Tory method of dealing with the Awkward Squad: he can’t quite abolish it, but he is trying to change the membership. Boris wants to:
•reduce the number of Assembly members on the Authority from eight to six;
•reduce the number of London Borough councillors on it from seven to five;
•increase the number of people he chooses to appoint from two to six.
In other words, he wants to cut four of the elected representatives and put his own yes people on the Authority instead.

“I don’t like who has been elected, so I’ll decide who I’ll consult”: if that had been the statement of an African or Asian politician, the Tory Party would be condemning them as people who do not understand the basics of democracy. As it’s a member of their own Party, their response has been… well, actually, we don’t know yet.

Boris can’t make the changes himself. He’s written to the Secretary of State, asking that an order be made to amend the composition of the Authority. Along with his request, he’s sent a summary of some consultation he’s done on the change, together with what he calls a “business case for reform” – which is basically an assertion that the change will cost less than leaving things as they are.

The Secretary of State has to consult the Mayor, the London Assembly, LFEPA itself and London Councils before taking a decision. As it happens, the Secretary of State has decided to open the consultation to “other interested parties”. If you live or work in London, you have quite an interest in how the London Fire Service is run. Send in your response to the consultation, urging the Secretary of State not to agree to Boris’s changes and to leave the politicians you elect running LFEPA, not Boris’s stooges.

•Send your response to LFEPAconsultation@communities.gsi.gov.uk by 11.45pm on 29th July.

•For more information, go to:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reform-of-fire-service-decision-making-in-london.