The Mayor of London has this week confirmed that he wants to shut the London Fire Brigade Museum 1 April 2012, despite the closure costing more than three times the annual running costs of the museum. Meanwhile it has emerged that visitor numbers have tripled in the last six years.

Responding to a series of detailed questions from Lib Dem Mike Tuffrey, the Mayor has confirmed that the net cost of operating the London Fire Brigade Museum in 2010/11 was just £81,000, while the cost of closing the museum and storing the collection is estimated to be £276,700.

Despite having previously described himself as a “strong supporter” of the museum, Boris Johnson was unable to provide further details of a potential  ‘blue light’ replacement museum which would bring together the historic collections of the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service.

The Fire Brigade committee will take the final decision about the future of the LFB museum on the 15 March 2012. Sadly that’s probably a rubber stamp of the Mayors views.

Please do sign the online petition to save this Museum here.