MQT late answers Sept Oct 2020

384 bus [1]

Question No: 2020/3434

Andrew Dismore

Residents report that there have been continuing problems with the implementation of the changes to the 384 bus route, firstly with incorrect information at bus stops. Information was not provided at the removed bus stops or hail-and-ride posts indicating where passengers now need to go to catch the bus, so this has meant many people waiting for buses never to show up. This has especially impacted elderly people who may find using the online planners more difficult. Timetables have still not been updated on the retained bus stops and hail-and-ride posts, so unless people have access to live apps they don’t know when to expect the bus, which again has a very negative impact for a bus that runs only every 20 minutes/30 minutes. Will you ensure this information is updated at once?

Answer for 384 bus [1]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

384 bus [1]

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

Route 384 was rerouted on 29 August 2020, resulting in changes to its timetable and to roads served. However, there was a delay with Transport for London’s (TfL) contractor updating timetables at stopping locations when the route changed. This was corrected on 9 September and temporary timetables were displayed. All stops on the route were updated with standard TfL timetables by 18 September. Stop posts and old timetables on roads no longer served by route 384 have also been removed. TfL is sorry for this error and the delay in changing the information.

When there is a permanent bus service change such as this, TfL will prioritise updating the information at stops that will no longer be served. However, in some cases, the infrastructure may be inaccessible or removed, as was the case here, where some of the hail and ride points did not have a frame to contain such a notice.

384 bus [2]

Question No: 2020/3435

Andrew Dismore

Drivers on the new 384 bus route are refusing to stop on Victoria Road sometimes, or doing parts of the old routing and parts of the new one. So now the whole of New Barnet town centre is often completely bypassed and people needing Sainsbury’s and the shops have nowhere to catch the bus. There are even some reports that drivers are running fast all the way from Station Road to Baring Road/Westbrook Crescent, then fast all the way from Baring Road to Mount Pleasant, and not stopping on any of the new sections in between at all. Will you ask Metroline to rectify this?

Answer for 384 bus [2]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

384 bus [2]

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

Transport for London (TfL) has passed the concerns you raise to Metroline and asked it to ensure that drivers serve all stops on the new routeing. TfL has also worked with LB Barnet and Metroline to clarify that buses can stop on double yellow lines to allow customers to board and alight on the new hail and ride section on Victoria Road. This is after some drivers had not been stopping there, thinking it was not permitted. All drivers should now be clear that they can stop on Victoria Road and TfL apologises to any customers inconvenienced by this confusion.

384 bus [3]

Question No: 2020/3436

Andrew Dismore

The new section of Salisbury Road on the eastbound routing is proving entirely unsuitable and buses are getting into stand-offs with vehicles coming in the other direction. This has led not only to long delays but also to buses dangerously reversing back onto Alston Road and running along the old routing of Alston Road and Strafford Road, but without letting people on and off there. Will you ask TfL to reconsider this section of the route?

Answer for 384 bus [3]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

384 bus [3]

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

TfL has found that rerouting 384 eastbound via Salisbury Road has minimised the distance and number of turning manoeuvres while continuing to provide coverage to otherwise remote areas. Running via Salisbury Road is 250 metres shorter than running via Alston and Strafford Road has removed conflict between east and westbound buses on these roads. Given this applies to every trip every day, cumulatively this is a reduction of 4,000 kilometres per annum.

TfL monitoring of before and after journey times in the local area show that they have reduced on average from 3.1 to 2.4 minutes between unchanged stops on Union Street and Salisbury Road (east). It also indicates less variability in journey time than the previous route which indicates fewer incidents of buses getting blocked. TfL is continuing to monitor the new routeing, its journey times and its variability to see if this remains the case.

606 bus

Question No: 2020/3437

Andrew Dismore

I understand that buses on the 606 bus route used to be able to transport up to 240 children, but has now dropped down to 60. On Monday 7th September there was only one bus after school, when there should be two and the children were told that if they had an EN5 postcode they could not use the service.

After school on the 8th September, a large group of year 7 children, had to walk back up to High Barnet on the extremely narrow and dangerous pavements on Barnet Lane with the assistance of some older children who tried to help them get home without any mishaps. A number of parents have started picking children up at the school gates, which creates problems.

When I raised this with TfL, I was told that a monitoring team had visited and there were no issues, but it turns out that most parents are driving their children. Will you please ensure there is enough capacity on this school bus route, and that it is communicated to parents?

Answer for 606 bus

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

606 bus

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

Route 606 runs between Queensbury and Totteridge Academy via Edgware and High Barnet serving schools including Totteridge Academy, where it stops at the bus stand outside the building entrance.

Totteridge Academy is also served by route 605, which serves Totteridge War Memorial and provides links to Mill Hill, Burnt Oak and Edgware, supplementing route 251. Route 605 cannot stop any closer to the school as the southern half of Barnet Lane is unsuitable for buses.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing requirements mean reduced capacities of 60 schoolchildren per double-deck bus on school services, including routes 605 and 606. Non-school services currently have reduced capacities of 30 customers per double deck bus.

Route 606 previously had two return journeys. However, following a review of loadings against social distancing capacity, an additional third afternoon journey was added on 28 September after a spare vehicle was identified by Metroline. Overall, these services now provide capacity for 180 schoolchildren, which Transport for London surveys indicate is sufficient for demand. In addition, route 384 has been extended to Edgware, providing three buses per hour throughout the day, linking schools in the High Barnet area to Apex Corner and Edgware in addition to route 606.

LFB Transformation and COVID-9

Question No: 2020/3466

Andrew Dismore

How have budget changes due to COVID-19 impacted the LFB Transformation?

Answer for LFB Transformation and COVID-9

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

 

LFB Transformation and COVID-9

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

The GLA Group faces a forecast £493 million budget shortfall over the next two years due to the impact of Covid-19. Along with the Metropolitan Police Service, I have asked London Fire Brigade (LFB) to make the smallest percentage of savings across the GLA Group. LFB’s Transformation Delivery Plan is supporting the effective delivery of actions to address the recommendations of both the Phase 1 report and the issues raised in the HMI report. The plan has been refreshed in light of some delays caused by Covid-19 but LFB continues to be committed to delivering every action in the plan. The appointment of the Director for Transformation has brought renewed focus on the transformation of the Brigade and work is underway on leading the long term, systemic transformation of the organisation.

The deadline for the Commissioner to respond to my budget guidance is 30 November.

LFB Property Transformation Update

Question No: 2020/3467

Andrew Dismore

Please provide an update on the LFB’s Property Transformation project.

Answer for LFB Property Transformation Update

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

LFB Property Transformation Update

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

Property transformation at London Fire Brigade (LFB) includes the staff, processes and contracts in the department. The new model is founded on the principles of strategy, delivery and assurance and includes dedicated roles focused on the requirements of stations and operations and developing the LFB workplace. The transformation is being funded by insourcing from the current supply chain and the programme is currently on schedule with a relaunch planned for March 2021.

Recruitment of LFB staff

Question No: 2020/3468

Andrew Dismore

The recent LFB Budget monitoring report suggests that there is a significant overspend due to overtime as a result of vacancies not being filled. What measures have been put in place to address this and improve recruitment?

Answer for Recruitment of LFB staff

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Recruitment of LFB staff

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

London Fire Brigade (LFB) is currently reviewing controls around operational overtime to ensure robust mechanisms are in place, with the intention of bringing spending down going forward. Presently there are vacancies at junior officer level, from leading firefighter to station officer and LFB is running promotion rounds in sequence to address this. Work is taking place to ensure LFB’s workforce planning meets future requirements, ensuring resilience at all levels of the organisation. Robust workforce planning, linked to talent management and succession planning will ensure that LFB has the correct and appropriate skills to keep London safe. A schedule of promotional assessments for all ranks will run regularly and will be communicated to staff to help them prepare and develop.

Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (2)

Question No: 2020/3470

Andrew Dismore

What are the challenges to recruiting Fire Safety Inspecting Officers?

Answer for Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

There continues to be significant demand from both public and private sector for staff with technical fire safety skills which drives up the market rate and makes retention of experienced, in-demand staff, challenging. Market pressures are not expected to ease for some years. While Covid-19 has also created obstacles, recruitment has continued and numbers of Fire Safety Advisors are increasing. London Fire Brigade’s Fire Safety department has had some difficulty recruiting operational officers from fire stations into fire safety and is working closely with the Fire Brigades Union to develop a pathway into specialist fire safety roles.

Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (3)

Question No: 2020/3471

Andrew Dismore

How is LFB changing its approach to the recruitment of Fire Safety Inspecting Officers in order to fill vacancies more quickly?

Answer for Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

Due to ongoing skills shortages in the sector, London Fire Brigade (LFB) has sought to improve recruitment through a variety of methods which include the establishment of the Centre of Learning & Excellence (CLE). LFB’s Fire Safety team has changed the way they recruit staff by attracting staff at Fire Safety Advisor level who don’t necessarily have a history in fire safety but have other appropriate experience. The CLE then provides the necessary training to develop them into Inspecting Officers. This novel programme helps to ensure that LFB has a pool of staff that can support the risk-based inspection programme. Additionally, work is ongoing to explore opportunities to attract operational staff into specialist fire safety roles.

Interserve and LFB

Question No: 2020/3475

Andrew Dismore

How does the recent £7.6milliion contract announced with Interserve1 represent good value for money to LFB?

1 This week in FM ‘£7.6m London Fire Brigade contract awarded to Interserve’ [Date accessed 17.09.20]

Answer for Interserve and LFB

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Interserve and LFB

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

Interserve were awarded a three-year contract under a Crown Commercial Service collaborative framework through a competition between nine pre-approved contractors. The contract price is within the current budget and brings together four previously separate contracts for security, cleaning, grounds maintenance and pest control into one which enables a more efficient service. The contract provides an increased focus on the quality of the service and streamlined delivery of ‘soft services’ which are of increased importance during the current pandemic.

The evaluation process ensured the contract was awarded to the most economically advantageous tender based on a quality/price ratio of 60:40 respectively. Interserve scored 58.98/60 for quality and submitted the lowest price out of all bids. The contract Key Performance Indicators are financially based to ensure future monthly payments are commensurate with the quality and value of service delivered.

Encouraging Diversity and LFB (1)

Question No: 2020/3476

Andrew Dismore

The 2018/19 HMICFRS report found that not all stations provided suitable privacy and facilities for women. How is this being addressed and improvements made?

Answer for Encouraging Diversity and LFB (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Encouraging Diversity and LFB (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

The objective of providing facilities for female firefighters has been substantively achieved and every fire station has at least one dedicated women’s facility available. Since the HMICFRS inspection individual resting and changing rooms are now available at Paddington and Tooting Fire Stations, gender neutral showers and toilets are now available at Stratford, Sutton and Woodside Fire Stations. These works were being undertaken during the HMCIFRS inspection and have since been completed. In recognition of the ‘Privacy for All’ aspiration, London Fire Brigade’s Property Services team is now reviewing the provision of gender neutral facilities and privacy for all to create individual resting and changing rooms.

Encouraging Diversity and LFB (2)

Question No: 2020/3477

Andrew Dismore

Following the HMICFRS report of 2018/19 what have been identified as being the barriers to LFB having a more diverse workforce? How are these barriers being addressed?

Answer for Encouraging Diversity and LFB (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Encouraging Diversity and LFB (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

Following the HMICFRS report London Fire Brigade (LFB) commissioned an external ‘culture audit’ to establish staff experiences and perceptions. In addition, a comprehensive programme of staff engagement took place to inform the development and launch of the new LFB Inclusion Strategy, the ‘Togetherness Strategy’. Significant work has since taken place in order to address identified barriers, including a new behavioural framework, undertaking an equality impact assessment on firefighter assessment processes and training recruiting managers on diversity and inclusion issues.

LFB has also developed a Togetherness Board which is directly accountable for the delivery and success of the Togetherness Strategy. LFB has invited applications for three external community members to sit on this Board, to ensure that London’s diverse communities are represented and able to hold the Brigade to account. A Togetherness Representative Committee has also been established, which will include trade unions and equality staff networks, and will monitor LFB’s progress.

Encouraging Diversity and LFB (3)

Question No: 2020/3478

Andrew Dismore

Have improvements been seen in the diversity of the LFB workforce since the HMICFRS report?

Answer for Encouraging Diversity and LFB (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 October, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Encouraging Diversity and LFB (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 23 November, 2020

There have been improvements in the diversity across most areas of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) workforce since the HMICFRS report, most notably with an increase in women in the operational staff group. LFB’s recruitment campaigns continue to focus on diversity since December 2019 there has been an increase in women (26 per cent) and BAME (30 per cent) firefighter apprentices in training. The table below sets out the change in the numbers and percentage of the workforce from 31 December 2019 to 30 September 2020.

Operational staff

  Date  31 December 2019  30 September 2020
Women Percentage 7.70% 8.60%
Number 370 414  
BAME staff Percentage 13.30% 13.90%
Number 638 673  
Disabled staff Percentage 5.80% 6.00%
Number 280 291  
LGBT staff Percentage 5.10% 5.30%
Number 244 257  

FRS staff

  Date  31 December 2019  30 September 2020
Women Percentage 50.80% 51.60%
Number 431 452  
BAME staff Percentage 29.40% 29.00%
Number 249 254  
Disabled staff Percentage 14.00% 13.70%
Number 119 120  
LGBT staff Percentage 4.80% 5.00%
Number 41 44  

Control staff

  Date  31 December 2019  30 September 2020
Women Percentage 77.10% 77.70%
Number 81 80  
BAME staff Percentage 12.40% 13.60%
Number 13 14  
Disabled staff Percentage 10.50% 9.70%
Number 11 10  
LGBT staff Percentage 6.70% 5.80%
Number 7 6  

 

Operational discretion training (1)

Question No: 2020/3068

Andrew Dismore

Has London Fire Brigade completed operational discretion training for level 1 and 2 officers? If not, when will it do so?

Answer for Operational discretion training (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Operational discretion training (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

Operational discretion is a cornerstone of the redesigned, nationally accredited incident command Level 1 (L1) training courses. Initial training began rolling out in September 2020. Following this roll out, work will start on designing the training for the nationally accredited Level 2 (L2) courses, in which operational discretion will be a key feature.

In the meantime, the revised operational discretion policy will have a computer-based training package for all operational personnel to complete, as well as input on the revised one day L1 maintenance of skills course. This L1 course piloted in October and will run over the normal two-year cycle split with revalidation. All level 2 and 3 commanders will receive operational discretion training during quarterly maintenance of skills training by the in-house incident command development team from quarter 3 this financial year.

Evacuation steering group (1)

Question No: 2020/3072

Andrew Dismore

When do you expect the evacuation steering group to next meet, and what has been its previous meeting schedule, and what is its membership?

Answer for Evacuation steering group (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Evacuation steering group (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

The London Fire Brigade believes this question refers to the Stay Put steering group run by The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. LFB does not sit on this group and is not aware of its schedule for future meetings.

Evacuation steering group (2)

Question No: 2020/3073

Andrew Dismore

What involvement did LFB have in the design of the call for evidence, commissioning and related work from academics for the evacuation steering group, and when will this research be complete?

Answer for Evacuation steering group (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Evacuation steering group (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

The London Fire Brigade believes this question refers to the Stay Put steering group run by The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. LFB does not sit on this group has not been involved in the design of the call for evidence, commissioning and related work from academics.

Evacuation steering group (4)

Question No: 2020/3075

Andrew Dismore

LFB’s Consolidated GTI and HMI action plan states that “it has been determined that the evacuation steering group did not meet in February”. How was this determined?

Answer for Evacuation steering group (4)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Evacuation steering group (4)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

This was ascertained through London Fire Brigade officers holding a discussion with National Fire Chief Council colleagues.

City Hall Independent Audit Committee of LFB

Question No: 2020/3081

Andrew Dismore

What is the membership of this committee, has it met yet, and will its papers be published?

Answer for City Hall Independent Audit Committee of LFB

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

City Hall Independent Audit Committee of LFB

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

The London Fire Commissioner has recruited four independent members for the Audit Committee and the details of the members, and the comprehensive selection process are published in a report on London Fire Brigade’s website. It is planned that the first meeting of the Audit Committee will take place in December. The Terms of Reference and reporting arrangements are still to be finalised, but it is proposed that the Committee will produce an annual report which will be published.

King’s ICU fire safety concerns (2)

Question No: 2020/3092

Andrew Dismore

When was the remedial work on the dangerous external wall panelling at King’s College NHS ICU completed?

Answer for King’s ICU fire safety concerns (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

King’s ICU fire safety concerns (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

London Fire Brigade has requested the completion date for remedial fire safety work at King’s College ICU. That work is still ongoing, and a completion date is not yet available.

Pumps off the run

Question No: 2020/3101

Andrew Dismore

For each day of the operation of the tripartite agreement with LAS, how many LFB vehicles were off the run? Please break this down by vehicle types.

Answer for Pumps off the run

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Pumps off the run

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

Many London Fire Brigade vehicles will show as ‘off-the-run’ at some point during any day. This could for reasons including scheduled vehicle maintenance, a crew needing to change contaminated fire gear after returning from an incident, a crew member with an urgent domestic emergency needing to leave the station or another station needing a crew member with a particular set of skills to support them with a specialised vehicle. The data supplied has used a cut-off of appliances ‘off-the-run’ for 15 minutes or more, which excludes shorter periods from the numbers.

The table below for pumping appliances shows for each month between January and September 2020, how many pumps were ‘off the run’ at each hour of the day. The tripartite agreement with the LAS ran from 13 April to 27 September 2020. A total of 300 firefighters were provided between 13 April and mid-July, a staggered stand-down of LFB staff began mid-July, and 200 firefighters remained between mid-July to 27 September. The equivalent 2019 total figures are also shown for comparison.

Hour of the day Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1
1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1
4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1
5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1
6 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1
7 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 2
8 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 3 4
9 3 4 3 1 2 2 3 4 6
10 9 11 10 5 6 7 9 13 14
11 8 14 12 6 6 7 11 19 19
12 4 8 7 3 3 3 6 13 11
13 3 5 4 2 2 2 4 9 8
14 3 4 3 2 2 2 4 8 6
15 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 8 6
16 2 3 2 2 1 1 3 8 5
17 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 8 6
18 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 7 7
19 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 7 7
20 3 4 4 4 3 4 6 7 7
21 3 5 5 4 4 4 8 10 10
22 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 5 4
23 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 2
TOTAL 46 69 61 36 35 44 77 149 132
TOTAL 2019 for comparison 52 70 69 60 87 108 115 143 104

Specialist appliance crewing (2)

Question No: 2020/3105

Andrew Dismore

In each month of 2020 so far, how many times has a) a fire and rescue unit and b) a command unit been off the run because of lack of trained crew?

Answer for Specialist appliance crewing (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Specialist appliance crewing (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

Month Days per month Shifts per month Total Shifts for eight Command Units (CUs) Number of shifts a CU was “off the run”
January 31 62 496 44
February 29 58 464 34
March 31 62 496 44
April 30 60 480 42
May 31 62 496 49
June 30 60 480 57
July 31 62 496 73
August 31 62 496 87
Month Days per month Shifts per month Total Shifts for fourteen Fire and Rescue Units (FRUs) Number of shifts an FRU was “off the run”
January 31 62 868 0
February 29 58 812 0
March 31 62 868 0
April 30 60 840 0
May 31 62 868 0
June 30 60 840 0
July 31 62 868 0
August 31 62 868 3

The action that London Fire Brigade is taking to ensure that more staff are trained to meet crewing arrangements for Command Units is addressed in Mayor’s Question 2020/3106.

Specialist appliance crewing (3)

Question No: 2020/3106

Andrew Dismore

What is LFB’s target number of operational staff trained for fire and rescue unit and command unit crewing, and what is the total number of actual staff trained?

Answer for Specialist appliance crewing (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Specialist appliance crewing (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

London Fire Brigade (LFB) requires 932 qualified staff to crew its fire and rescue units. LFB currently has 732 trained staff.

LFB currently requires 96 qualified Sub Officer Specialist Command Unit staff to crew its eight Command Units (CUs) under the current crewing arrangements. LFB currently has 57 trained staff. The Brigade is moving to an integrated CU structure to increase resilience and will require 256 trained staff to crew the CUs. There are additional training courses scheduled until the end of the financial year to meet this requirement and the Brigade will move to full integration in quarter one of 2021/22.

Memorial to Covid 19 victims

Question No: 2020/3110

Andrew Dismore

Nearly 7,000 Londoners have died of the Covid 19 virus Will you consider organising a memorial or ceremony to mourn those Londoners lost to the virus?

Answer for Memorial to Covid 19 victims

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 September, 2020

Officers are drafting a response

Memorial to Covid 19 victims

The Mayor

Last updated: 22 November, 2020

COVID-19 has had and continues to have a devastating impact on our city. City Hall staff are working with London boroughs, community groups and charities to determine the most appropriate way of commemorating and remembering those who have tragically lost their lives as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect to provide further information on plans in the Autumn.

 

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