Fylde MP's reaction to Government U-turn over payments for voluntary Coastguard Officers
“These are the people who drop everything to save lives along our coastline. They deserve our thanks, not a pay cut”
Fylde MP Andrew Snowden has greeted the U-turn on plans to cut remuneration for Coastguard Rescue Officers as “a win for common sense”.
The Government’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it had ‘listened’ after scrapping plans to end payments for thousands of volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers were halted.
Minister for Transport Keir Mather announcing that the MCA would no longer proceed with proposals to stop hourly remuneration for attending incidents and training exercises.
The announcement was greeted with delight by Mr Snowden, who had campaigned against the plans.
He said: “The Government has backed down and Coastguard Rescue Officers will continue to be reimbursed for their training and emergency callouts.
“These are the people who drop everything to save lives along our coastline. They deserve our thanks, not a pay cut.
“I backed the campaign to protect our Coastguard Rescue Officers and urged Ministers to think again. Thankfully, they've listened.
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“Now the Government must work with Coastguard Rescue Officers to secure the long-term future of this vital service.
“A huge thank you to everyone who spoke up and helped make this happen.”
A spokesperson for the MCA said: "The work of the service is vital to keeping people safe, and this pause gives us the time to engage extensively with our hard-working officers, understand more deeply the potential impact of any changes, and ensure their views help inform the decisions we take on how to shape the service going forward.”