Apologies for absence were received from Gareth Bacon AM, Councillor Sarah Hayward and Councillor Mehboob  Khan.

Minutes of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority meeting held on 23 November 2017.

The motion was made by the Chair – That the minutes of the Authority meeting held on 23 November 2017 be signed as a correct record.

The motion was seconded by the Vice-Chair, put and agreed.

Resolved – accordingly.

The minutes were thereupon signed by the Chair.

• The Chair reported that on 23 November 2017 at 09:13 hours, the Brigade took the first of 31 calls to a fire in a warehouse in Enfield. 12 fire engines and 3 aerial appliances attended the incident and crews used aerial and ground monitors to bring the fire under control. The warehouse was 100% damaged by fire; crews worked extremely hard and prevented the fire from spreading to an adjacent unit.

• The Chair reported that on 6  December 2017  at 12:46 hours, Dowgate crews were mobilised to assist the London Ambulance Service with removing a patient. A 60 year old man had been working on the roof of the 7 storey building when his leg had gone through a gap in the floor resulting in him breaking his leg in several places. Crews set up a lowering system, the man was placed into a stretcher and safely brought to ground level to receive further medical treatment and be removed to hospital.

• The Chair reported that  on 23  December 2017 at 06:07 hours the Brigade received 10 calls to a fire at London Zoo, in the animal adventure section. On arrival crews were faced with a well developed fire; they worked hard to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible to stop it spreading to neighbouring animal enclosures. Sadly an aardvark and four meerkats died in the fire, and several other animals including a porcupine and mongooses suffered from smoke inhalation. Firefighters were praised by the Zoological Society for their prompt actions in dealing with the fire and securing the welfare of their animals.

• The Chair reported that on 8  January 2018 at 21:21 hours the Brigade received a call to an Automatic Fire Alarm actuating at a factory  in  Waterloo Road, NW2, in the London Borough of Brent. More than one hundred additional calls were made to Brigade Control, reporting a serious fire. In under an hour from the first call, the large paint factory was completely alight; 15 pumps were at the incident along with three aerial appliances, a high volume pump and a hose laying unit. Crews worked extremely hard to fight the fire and prevent further spread to surrounding properties. External jets, ground monitors and aerial monitors were used to bring the fire under control. Crews remained at the scene, damping down, for almost four days. 

• The Chair reported that London Fire Brigade’s Head of Training Assurance, Jackie Adams–Bonitto, had been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list. Jackie’s award recognised her work for services to the fire and rescue service and to equality and diversity. Her career at the Brigade started back in 1981 when she joined as a clerical officer. She started in the Brigade’s Personnel department (now HR), and moved onto the Deputy Chief Officer’s Secretariat, then Operational Policy and Operational Response before returning to HR. She is currently working in the Development and Training Department. Jackie has also sat on the London region executive committees for Women  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Clerk to the Authority – known details of membership of the GLA, other functional bodies and London Boroughs are attached as an Appendix to this Agenda.  The Appendix does not remove the need for a Member to declare at the meeting an interest (whether or not listed in the Appendix) in any relevant item on the agenda paper and to state also the nature of that interest.

Resolved – That the details of membership of the GLA, other functional bodies and London Boroughs, as attached as an appendix to the agenda, be noted. 

Councillor Jack Hopkins declared a disclosable, non-pecuniary interest in items 8  and 13 on the basis  that he was a Councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth and that his wife was a Ward Councillor for the same Borough and Chair of the Planning Committee. 

Director of Finance and Contractual Services – Updating the Authority on the budget setting process for 2018/19.

[Resources Committee – 12 January 2018]

Report and supplementary report by the Director of Finance and Contractual Services.

The Director of Finance and Contractual Services introduced the report.

During discussion, it was agreed that a briefing note to Members would be provided clarifying the situation with regard to future representation on the Local Government Association in respect of London fire matters.

The Chair moved the motion:  That the Authority notes the report and supplementary report.

The motion was seconded by the Vice-Chair, put and agreed.

Resolved - Accordingly.

Head of External Communications and Campaigns – proposing a draft LFEPA response to the Mayor’s consultation on the London Plan.

Report of the Head of External Communications and Campaigns.

The Chair placed on record the Authority’s thanks to the Members of the Local Plan Working Group and supporting staff.

The Chair moved the motion:  That the Authority agrees the LFEPA response to the Mayor’s Consultation on the London Plan, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

The motion was seconded by the Vice-Chair, put and agreed.

Resolved - Accordingly.

Head of Strategy and Inclusion – proposing a response from the Authority to the Home Office’s new draft Fire and Rescue National Framework for England.

Report of the Head of Strategy and Inclusion.

It was noted that the Chair was in correspondence with the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Services (The Rt Hon Nick Hurd MP) over the business continuity framework and how it would apply to London, and that as a result it might be necessary to amend the response prior to the closing date of 14 February 2018.  After discussion, it was agreed that the Commissioner, in consultation with the Chair and Gareth Bacon AM, be authorised send a revised response should this prove necessary.

The Chair moved the motion – That:

(1)          The proposed responses to the draft Fire and Rescue Framework for England, as set out in paragraphs 45 to 64 of the report, be submitted to the Home Office as the official response of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority; and

(2)          The Commissioner, in consultation with the Chair and Gareth Bacon AM, be authorised to send a revised response should that prove necessary following liaison with the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Services as outlined above.

The motion was seconded by the Vice-Chair, put and agreed.

Resolved - Accordingly.

Head of Procurement and Technical and Service Support – updating the Authority on the current position with 8 Albert Embankment.

Report of the Head of Procurement and Technical Service and Support.

The Chair moved the motion: That the report be noted.

The motion was seconded by the Vice-Chair, put and agreed.

Resolved - Accordingly. 

Clerk to the  Authority –  setting out actions arising from a previous meeting of the Authority.

Report by the Clerk to the Authority.

The Authority placed on record their thanks to the Assistant Commissioner, Fire Safety, and his team for their work on the inspections of high-rise blocks as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

The Chairman moved the motion:  That the report be noted.

The motion was seconded by the Vice-Chair, put and agreed.

Resolved – Accordingly.

Clerk to the Authority – presenting questions received from Members to be answered by the Chair of the Authority or the Commissioner. 

Questions from Members for the meeting on 24 January 2018, published in the order received in accordance with Standing Order 20, are set out below with supplementary questions and the Commissioner’s replies:

Questions received:

Any other items the Chair considers urgent.

There was no urgent business.

The Authority is recommended to agree to exclude the public and press from the meeting, in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 7a of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), in order to consider the following items of business.

Resolved- That the public and press be excluded from the meeting, in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 7a of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), in order to consider the following items of business.

Head of Procurement and Technical and Service Support – updating the Authority on the current position with 8 Albert Embankment.

Report of the Head of Procurement and Technical and Service Support.

The Chair moved the motion:  That the Authority-

(1)          Note the contents of the report;

(2)          Agree that officers and their advisers should continue to work closely with the company listed in the report (FEP 2818X), so that a planning application can be lodged with Lambeth as soon as possible and to extend the current deadline to 28 September 2018 which is contained in the Development Agreement (DA), for that purpose; and

(3)          Accept in principle a revised land price in the sum referred to in the report (FEP 2818X), subject to agreeing the requisite details with the above mentioned company, in accordance with the terms of the DA.

The motion was seconded by the Vice-Chair, put and agreed.

Resolved - Accordingly.

Any other exempt items the Chair considers urgent.

The Director of Finance and Contractual Services provided an oral update on the sale of the Southwark site.