Mayor of London Sadiq Khan meets new recruits at a Fire station in East London, in July 2022
LONDON is at risk of “sleepwalking into regular fires and floods,” Sadiq Khan warned today following calls from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for more resources to fight the worsening effects of global warming.
The capital’s Labour mayor, who has praised the “incredible efforts” of firefighters, acknowledged the scale of the challenge they face.
But, when questioned by Green Party London Assembly Member Zack Polanski, the former Tooting MP failed to commit to providing fire-and-rescue services with additional funding to cope with extreme weather events.
Since 2010, one in five firefighter jobs has disappeared alongside 30% funding cuts — all while climate breakdown brings record blazes and flooding. It’s time to fund our fire service properly, writes FBU general secretary STEVE WRIGHT
When it comes to extreme weather events, from wildfires to flash floods, it’s firefighters who are on the front line of defence, but services have been cut to the bone, and government is not taking seriously its responsibility for the environment, says STEVE WRIGHT
