The Scoop

London Fire Brigade Museum saved and privatisation halted

Adam Bienkov | Thursday 21 June, 2012 16:37

Plans to close London’s Fire Brigade Museum and privatise it’s 999 control centre have been scrapped, following the departure of Boris Johnson’s controversial fire chief Brian Coleman.

Coleman, who lost his seats on the Fire Authority and the London Assembly last month had advocated closing the museum and privatising the control centre.

However, the museum will now stay open until a new home for the collection is found. Plans to privatise the 999 centre were also voted down by the authority today.

Visitors to the museum have more than doubled in recent years with total running costs currently just £81k a year.

The Brigade estimate that closing the museum would have cost more than double that.

A spokesperson for the Fire Authority said today:

“At the Authority meeting today members decided to enter into a contract for a replacement mobilising system only. This means that control staff will remain employed by the Authority. The Fire Authority has agreed to keep the museum open until a permanent home is found for the collection or the sale of Southwark Training Centre takes place (up to three years) and to fund that from existing budgets, or from private funding, if that is available.”

Today’s decisions will be seen as a clear departure from the confrontational Coleman era.

The new Conservative Chairman of the authority James Cleverly has so far taken a much more conciliatory approach to opposition parties, firefighters and union members.

One source at Brigade HQ said of the new administration:

“Brian has definitely left the building. Confrontation is out.”

Despite today’s decisions there still remains a strong likelihood of conflict. Earlier this month City Hall briefed that there will be swingeing cuts to fire engines and stations across the capital.

---