Coastguard volunteers 'could leave' over pay cuts

"Every time we pull our overalls on, we're stepping into a situation where we could end up in the coroner's court."

Alex - not their real name - has been a Coastguard rescue officer (CRO) on the Yorkshire coast for decades.

CROs are technically volunteers, but they are able to claim renumeration of about £11 an hour for call-outs, training or carrying out maintenance.

The minimum payment for an incident is £33, even if it is resolved in less than three hours.

But from September, they will no longer receive payment under a "revised volunteer model" announced by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in June.

It follows a Court of Appeal ruling in January that a former CRO was a worker rather than a volunteer, when they were being paid.

An MCA spokesperson said: "We deeply value and recognise the significant service Coastguard rescue officers provide along our coastline and we will continue to work towards a model that supports our Coastguards and helps to keep the public safe."

For Alex, the renumeration "smooths a day out when you've lost half a day's work", despite it being a "small level of money".

"It makes it easier to walk away from your day job. A lot of us are self-employed," they said.

CROs' skillsets are "phenomenal", Alex said, with duties not only including search and rescue.

"I've had situations on the Yorkshire coast where we've been waiting for bomb disposal to come down from Strathclyde," they added.

"We work with the ambulance service, we work with the police and we work with the fire service, on an equal footing.

"Our training standards are as good as theirs, and in some situations, actually some of our training is higher."

According to the GMB Union, more than half of CROs in Yorkshire and the Humber would reduce their hours or stop their duties if pay was removed.

Alex said: "If there isn't a renumeration, I'm walking away, because of things like how the MCA values me."

Having fewer experienced rescuers could reduce safety, they added.

"Each rescue needs a certain minimum number of people to attend, and if you haven't got that number of people to attend, you can't enact a safe rescue."

CROs across the country are currently "in limbo", Alex said, with planned visits by management teams to coastguard stations paused.

"It's basically a fire and hire situation," Alex said, adding that they felt "very undervalued".

"I feel also angry and cross and disbelieving that a government organisation is behaving like this."

North Yorkshire Conservative councillor Derek Bastiman, who chairs the coastal special interest group at the Local Government Association, said the situation was "an absolute disgrace and morally wrong".

"What I want to see happening is some proper consultation and some respect for these extremely brave ladies and gentlemen."

Alison Hume, the Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby, told Parliament on Wednesday that CROs were "seriously concerned about the future of the service".

"These CROs bring decades-long experience and routinely respond to complex call-outs including, sadly, suicide."

In response, Keir Mather, Selby's MP and the minister for aviation, maritime and decarbonisation, thanked Hume for her "doggedly determined" support of CROs and acknowledged the impact of traumatic call-outs.

The Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart, recalled an incident in January during which three people died in Withernsea.

"Through that day and late into the night, coastguard rescue officers fought in the most terrible conditions to save lives," Stuart said.

"They did so out of duty, not for renumeration.

"When thousands and thousands of people go to the coast from this summer onwards, how can the minister ensure that they can continue to rely on courageous Coastguard rescue officers in future, as they've been able to in the past?"

Mather paid tribute to the CROs' "phenomenal public service" and agreed that there was an "urgent need to address this issue now".

Earlier, he had said the situation "requires a bespoke response", which could include a "carve out" despite legal complexities.

He said there was "no perfect solution" but that he would "consider in the long term how our Coastguard volunteers can be recognised".

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