Fire engines could be ‘forfeited’ by maintenance firm
The Fire Brigades Union claims the safety of Londoners is at risk as the firm that services the capital’s fire appliances struggles to pay off its debts.
London fire engines could be forfeited to pay off debts owed by the private contractor that maintains them, union leaders have claimed.
The Fire Brigades Union said that AssetCo, which has the maintenance contract for all fire engines in the capital, is suffering from “serious financial problems” and faces a High Court winding-up petition.
In a letter to fire minister Bob Neill, the union’s general secretary Matt Wrack said: “This means that every single fire engine and fire appliance London owns could be forfeit as a result of the debts of AssetCo.
“I understand that AssetCo has obtained a deferral in the High Court until April 20, presumably in order to give it more time to try to raise sufficient funds to pay its debts. I also understand that the Inland Revenue regard a petition to wind up a company as a last resort, only to be undertaken when all other measures to recover a debt have failed.
“The safety of Londoners, and of London’s firefighters, is in the hands of a company which could be wound up in six weeks time because of tax debts. At the least, this will mean that there is no one to maintain London’s fire engines. At the worst, it could mean that London forfeits its fire engines to pay AssetCo’s debts.”
The union has made complaints before about AssetCo, whose workers provided emergency cover during a strike over new shift patterns last year by firefighters in London.
The FBU said 27 engines were taken out of service by the firm during the strike and were only returned last month.