Dame Rebecca Harris MP has today joined fellow Conservative MPs in opposing the Government’s decision to cut payments to serving Coastguard Rescue Officers in Castle Point.
Alongside colleagues, Rebecca has highlighted the poor decision by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which has risked the future of our Coastguard services.
Following a court case involving a former Coastguard Rescue Officer, the Court of Appeal has found that our heroic Coastguard Rescue Officers are not merely volunteers, as the MCA had claimed, but workers who receive minimal pay for carrying out their essential work.
Rebecca has argued that upon hearing this decision, the MCA should have carried out the necessary changes to properly recognise Coastguard Rescue Officers. Instead, it has decided to take away pay completely, whilst still requiring them to turn up for their mandatory training and to attend on-call emergencies.
For many, the modest payment received is the difference between being able to serve and having to give up the critical service.
An MCA survey revealed by the Times has indicated that across all regions, between 25% and 58% of those who responded said a volunteer model would lead them to quit or reduce their hours, including 56% in the south-east and southern England regions.
This would mean fewer experienced Coastguard Rescue Officers available for callouts, more pressure on those who remain, longer waits during emergencies and greater risk, not only to the public but to the Coastguard Rescue Officers themselves.
Rebecca has praised the life-saving work that Canvey Coastguard carries out to ensure that our coastline is kept safe.
She said: “I am incredibly concerned about the removal of pay for those in the Borough that carry-out such a selfless, vital service to protect our community. They deserve to be properly supported.
“I have raised this with Labour Ministers and I will keep residents updated when I receive a response.”
