MD3448 Transfer of funding from the GLA reserve to the London Fire Commissioner to meet in-year budget pressures

1.1.    The LFC, as the fire and rescue authority for London, has a statutory responsibility to consult on and produce a Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP). The current CRMP, ‘Your London Fire Brigade 2023-29' is delivered on behalf of the LFC by London Fire Brigade (LFB).

1.2.    In December 2022, the Mayor approved the LFC’s CRMP. This was approved under MD3051: London Fire Commissioner’s Community Risk Management Plan, Your London Fire Brigade. 

1.3.    LFB set a challenging budget for 2025-26. This included £28 million in cross-cutting, directorate and programme savings. LFB has reported that it is making good progress towards achieving these savings.

1.4.    However, in-year budget pressures, across a range of departments (including costs to meet staffing and training requirements), have resulted in additional pressure to LFB’s contingency funding. To alleviate these pressures and help LFB to continue delivering the CRMP, LFC is seeking a one-off grant, from the GLA, of £3 million to be used by the LFB. 

1.5.    The CRMP covers the period 2023-29. It was subject to consultation with the Deputy Mayor for Fire, the London Assembly and the public. 

1.6.    The CRMP sets out major risks facing London, and how six service areas in LFB will respond to these: 

•    prevention
•    protection
•    response
•    preparedness
•    recovery 
•    engagement. 

1.7.    There are eight major commitments for LFB around how it will improve as an organisation; LFB expects that the grant funding will be used to support work towards meeting these. These commitments are:

•    we will work with you to provide localised services that meet your needs
•    we will make it easier for you to access our services
•    we will adapt our services to your needs, and the needs of London
•    we will design services around your needs and concerns
•    we will enable our people to be the best they can be, to serve you better
•    we will work together to provide the best possible services to meet your needs
•    we will be driven by evidence to give you the value you expect
•    we will work with other organisations to secure a safer future for everyone.

1.8.    The CRMP also sets out performance metrics for LFB, including on incident attendance times; officer training; diversity and inclusion; building audits; and the provision of fire safety advice.
 

2.1.    The grant of £3 million will support LFB with its continued delivery of the CRMP, in the context of the financial pressures set out in paragraph 1.3. 

2.2.    LFC’s General Reserve is currently below the minimum target level. Therefore, use of this reserve is not recommended to cover the range of in-year budget pressures that LFB is facing. 
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor, on behalf of the GLA, must comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED). This provides that he must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act; and to advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not. This involves having due regard to the need to remove or minimise any disadvantage suffered by those who share a relevant protected characteristic that is connected to that characteristic; taking steps to meet the different needs of such people; and encouraging them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low.

3.2.    The relevant protected characteristics for the purposes of the PSED are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital or civil partnership status, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Compliance with the duty may involve ensuring people with a protected characteristic are provided with all the opportunities that those without the characteristic would have. 

3.3.    The LFC undertook an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) while the CRMP was in development; this was published alongside the final plan. The Mayor may consider the EqIA when making this decision. 

3.4.    The EqIA sets out how LFB expects the four pillars and eight commitments within the CRMP to transform the way LFB delivers its services over the life of the plan. The EqIA found that the CRMP will have a positive impact on people of all characteristics. This is based on enhancements to LFB’s ability to respond to emergency incidents; the tailoring of services for people according to specific needs; and increasing trust in LFB.

3.5.    The grant will support LFB: 

•    to maintain the improvements it has made through implementing the CRMP since 2023 
•    in its aim to meet the needs of all Londoners for the remaining term of the CRMP, up to 2026.
 

Link to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.1.    The CRMP sets out how the LFC is addressing Mayoral priorities of improving fire safety; and maintaining an effective response to emergency incidents. It also provides further reassurance to Londoners on LFB’s transformation in response to findings from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services inspections. 

4.2.    The CRMP helps enable the LFC to implement Mayoral delivery plan objectives on reducing carbon emissions, and increasing opportunity for Londoners from all backgrounds. Performance metrics on these issues have been included in the CRMP.

Risks of not delivering the CRMP

4.3.    The CRMP sets out how LFB will improve its service to Londoners and adapt to meet the changing needs of the city and its residents. These commitments may not be achievable if LFB does not have funding to continue to deliver its CRMP. 

Conflicts of interest

4.4.    There are no known conflicts of interest to declare for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this Mayoral Decision.
 

5.1.    This one-off grant of £3 million will be made from surplus funds held within the GLA Group Business Rates Reserve. The payment of this grant to LFC was assumed in the final GLA Group Budget, approved on 26 February 2026.

6.1.    Section 121(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (GLA Act) provides that the GLA may make grants towards meeting revenue expenditure incurred or to be incurred by a functional body for the purposes of, or in connection with, the discharge of that body’s functions. The power in section 121(1) is exercisable by the Mayor, acting on behalf of the GLA. 

6.2.    Section 121(3) of the GLA Act requires that this grant must not be made subject to any limitation in respect of the expenditure which it may be applied towards meeting. 

6.3.    This decision relates to a one-off grant of £3 million. The GLA’s decision making framework requires that approval of grants to functional bodies over £250,000 are decisions reserved to the Mayor. 

6.4.    In taking the decision requested, the Mayor must comply with the PSED. To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.