Great Yarmouth considers ditching lifeguards to cut costs
Lifeguards could disappear from beaches in Great Yarmouth as the council looks to save money.
The borough council is considering proposals to reduce a nearly £60,000 annual subsidy to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution as part of a package of measures to reduce spending.
The subsidy pays for lifeguards who can only operate with the permission of the local council or relevant landowner.
The proposed cuts will be discussed at a council meeting on Thursday. A council spokesman said it was one of a range of policies being considered.
The local authority faces a budget black hole of £3m this year and has been forced to dip into its reserves.
It is one of a number forced to make cuts to services in an effort to stave off bankruptcy. Nearly one in five believe that it is likely that they will go bust in the next fifteen months, the Local Government Association found.
Birmingham City Council and Nottingham City Council have both declared effectively bankruptcy this year, filing “Section 114” notices.
A string of local authorities is considering dimming street lights to cut their energy bills, while in Brighton and Hove the council is discussing the implementation of a 10pc sales tax on seafront beach huts.
The chairman of Visit Great Yarmouth said the proposal to restrict funding to the RNLI in the town could deter visitors.
Lyndon Bevan, chairman of the tourist body, told the BBC: “What sort of place are we if we can’t make the beaches in this borough safe for the holidaymakers that come? It’s a very sad time.
“Would you take away the fire brigade, would you take away an ambulance service? When you don’t think you need it, suddenly you do.”
Norfolk’s coastline is a popular tourist attraction, with more than 7.5 million visiting Great Yarmouth’s beaches in 2022 alone.
The borough earned more than £630m from tourism in 2022, according to figures from a Cambridge Model report.
The Great Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat station is nearly 200 years old and operates inshore lifeboat “John Rowntree”, and would likely be unaffected by the changes.
Most Royal National Lifeboat Institution workers are volunteers, with the exception of the majority of on-beach lifeguards.
Salaries range from £11.50 to £13.64 and in 2022 1,632 lifeguards attended 18,897 potentially life-threatening accidents, saving nearly 120 lives.
The RNLI said it provides the lifeguards at the request of councils or landowners, and cannot do so without their consent.
A spokesman said: “We will continue to work closely with Great Yarmouth Borough Council on what the 2024 lifeguarding service will look like.”
The council said it would not comment on the proposals until a decision was made.
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