The London Assembly Plenary meeting on 5 February 2026 focused on fire and rescue services in London, the consideration of petitions, and the review of mayoral commitments. The Assembly also debated several motions proposed by Assembly Members.

Fire and Rescue Services in London

The Assembly engaged in a question and answer session with Jules Pipe CBE, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service, and Jonathan Smith, London Fire Commissioner, regarding fire safety in London. The primary question posed was: What do you see as the greatest risk facing fire safety in London today and what actions are being taken to mitigate it? Assembly Members then had the opportunity to ask supplementary questions on this topic. Following this session, a motion was put forward by the Chair stating: That the Assembly notes the answers to the questions asked.

Petitions

The Assembly considered petitions presented by Assembly Members. Thomas Turrell AM presented a petition calling for new speed cameras on roads in Hayes and Coney Hall to reduce speeding and support Bromley Council in reducing road casualties. He also presented a petition opposing the Mayor of London's plan to reduce the opening hours of Bexleyheath Police Station's front counter. Hina Bokhari OBE AM presented a petition calling on Transport for London to prioritise bringing step-free access to South Wimbledon tube station. The Assembly was recommended to note these petitions, decide whether to refer them to the relevant bodies, and seek responses to the points raised.

An update was also provided on a petition previously presented by Hina Bokhari OBE AM, which called for the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, to create a salaried, accountable, and permanent position of Disability Equality Champion. The response from the Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, indicated that his Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, leads this work and that a Disability Action Plan is due to be published in Spring 2026.

Motions

Several motions were debated and considered by the Assembly:

• Motion in the name of Hina Bokhari OBE AM (proposed by Gareth Roberts AM): This motion expressed concerns about the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, which are due to come into effect on 6 April 2026. The motion highlighted issues raised by Deaf and Disabled Peoples' Organisations (DDPOs) regarding the regulations, including the use of reasonable endeavours instead of best endeavours for responsible persons, the burden placed on individuals to initiate fire risk assessments, the lack of mandatory professional training for assessments, and the restriction of safety planning based on building height rather than individual need. The motion called for the Chair of the Assembly to write to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to re-think these regulations, for the Mayor to join this request, and for the London Fire Commissioner to write to MHCLG reminding them of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's recommendation for a new legal duty on building owners/managers to prepare Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).
• Motion in the name of Alex Wilson AM (seconded by Keith Prince AM): This motion expressed concern about the Secretary of State for Justice's plan to abolish the right to a jury trial for offences with a likely sentence of three years or less. The motion argued that the Crown Court backlog is not caused by the jury system but by a failing estate and that sacrificing the right to trial by jury sets a harmful precedent. It called upon the Mayor to write to the Secretary of State for Justice and the Prime Minister to express the Assembly's opposition and to publicly champion the right to a jury trial.
• Motion in the name of Susan Hall AM (seconded by Alessandro Georgiou AM): This motion congratulated the Government on its commitment to policy flexibility demonstrated by a series of U-turns and noted the impact of policy uncertainty on London's economy and investment prospects. It called on the Mayor to raise these concerns with his Government counterparts to provide certainty for Londoners.
• Motion in the name of Emma Best AM (seconded by Andrew Boff AM): This motion recognised the importance of the TfL advertising estate for revenue and public messaging. It proposed that the non-commercial allocation of this space could be used more effectively for public health messaging, such as on HIV awareness and mental health support. The motion called on the Mayor to work with the Assembly on a cross-party basis to utilise this space for public health campaigns, identify cross-party campaigns, support campaigns with unanimous Assembly support, and review TfL's current non-commercial messaging.

Mayoral Commitments

The Assembly noted the commitments made by the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, during London Assembly (Mayor's Question Time) meetings held between November 2025 and January 2026. These commitments covered a wide range of topics, including transport, policing, business, health, planning, and GLA administration.

Notable commitments included:

• Transport: The Mayor committed to arranging a meeting with Elly Baker AM to discuss issues faced by private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers regarding licence renewals and potential compensation. He also agreed to share written representations made to the Chancellor regarding pay-per-mile schemes and to review TfL's advertising policy. Commitments were made to investigate concerns about ticket barriers at Hayes station and policing at railway terminals, and to explore additional stops at Acton Main Line and Hanwell stations for the Elizabeth line. The Mayor also agreed to look into extending the SL12 bus route to serve Beam Park.
• Policing: The Mayor agreed to follow up on the lack of a central database for police suicides and to work with Lord Bailey of Paddington AM to identify police forces with effective data collection on this issue. He also agreed to review the details of a proposed parliamentary clause mandating data collection on police suicides.
• Housing: The Mayor committed to taking away concerns raised by Lord Bailey of Paddington AM regarding the counting of housing starts and to investigate allegations of premature counting. He also agreed to lobby the Government to change laws regarding leasehold schemes and to consider funding for renters' unions, subject to budget constraints.
• Fire and Rescue: The Mayor provided data on the London Fire Brigade's average response times and stated that no fire stations are currently being considered for closure. He also confirmed that the London Fire Brigade has the necessary equipment and training to respond to flooding incidents.

The meeting also addressed numerous written questions submitted by Assembly Members to the Mayor, covering a broad spectrum of policy areas including transport, housing, policing, fire services, and environmental issues.