Future of London Fire Brigade Museum back in the balance

The museum was given a temporary reprieve in March at LFEPA's final meeting before the London mayoral and assembly elections.

When the authority holds its annual general meeting on Thursday 21 June its members, under new chairman James Cleverly AM, will be asked to choose whether to close the museum on 1 September or to keep it open until the fire brigade's Southwark Training Centre is sold or a new home for the historic collection is found.

The museum, which is open to the public by appointment, receives more than 10,000 visits a year, including many school groups, and its net operating costs are just £81,000 a year.

The 15,000 items in the museum's collection are valued at £805,000.

In a report prepared for next week's meeting fire authority bosses have revealed details of talks it has held with other organisations about finding a new home for the museum.

These include a possible joint bid with the Museum of London to accommodate the collection in the cultural space at Berkeley Homes' One Tower Bridge development at Potters Fields.

Other talks have been held with Hackney Council about moving the collection to Clissold House and there have also been discussions about joining forces with the Imperial War Museum, the RAF Museum and the Kew Bridge Steam Museum.

• SE1 locals have an opportunity to visit the museum on Friday 29 June as part of a tour organised by the Living Memory heritage project.