More beach lifeguards are to be recruited for the summer season, reversing a cut in Brighton and Hove City Council’s annual budget.
Councillors are being asked to back spending more than £93,000 to pay for the extra lifeguards to provide cover at more Brighton and Hove beaches.
The proposal is due to be discussed by the council’s Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Development Committee on Thursday (15 June) although the cost is currently unbudgeted.
The lifeguard service was affected by a £100,000 cut during the council’s annual budget-setting process in February despite public opposition to the plans.
The Greens and Conservatives agreed to the reduced service on four beaches from May through to September, with cover on an additional three beaches over the summer holidays.
Now Labour is in control, the party wants to fund an extra 15 seasonal lifeguards to extend the service to all of the beaches that had lifeguards last summer.
During the budget-setting process, Labour councillors negotiated a reallocation of £60,000 from funding set aside for diseased tree removal to pay for more lifeguards.
But when the old Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee met in March, councillors were told that about half the money – or £30,000 – would fund safety information on beaches rather a restored lifeguard service. The rest would go towards the Visit Brighton tourism service and Volk’s Railway.
At the time, Labour councillor Alan Robins, who now chairs the new Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Development Committee, said: “I don’t want to be trying to handle the communications or anything else when someone has got into trouble on a beach where we’ve taken away the lifeguards.
“It’s not only the immediate danger that people are in – in the sea. It’s the advice and the untold lives that could be saved by people saying: ‘Don’t go in there now. It’s too rough.’ (That’s) advice which won’t be given because there isn’t anyone there.”
If councillors back the proposal, the £60,000 would cover part of the £153,000 cost of the extra lifeguards leaving the council to find the remaining £93,000.
The council said that it had carried out risk assessments based on visitor numbers. As a result, the beaches at West Street, to the east and west of the Palace Pier and by the King Alfred were monitored by lifeguards from Saturday 27 May to Sunday 3 September.
From Saturday 22 July to Sunday 3 September, funding is already in place for lifeguards in Saltdean, by the West Pier and by Hove Lawns.
Beaches without lifeguards for the 2023 season included Rottingdean, Duke’s Mound/Black Rock and West Hove/the Lagoon. These would be prioritised, according to a report.
It said: “If incidents occur on beaches without lifeguards, a member of the lifeguard team will respond if it is practical to do so and does not reduce the levels of safe cover on lifeguarded beaches.
“Other responders, including the patrol boat, seafront co-ordinators, and/or seafront officers, as well as partner emergency service agencies, may be called on to deal with the incident.
“To facilitate a prompt and efficient response, rescue equipment is stored in containers located on non-lifeguarded beaches, should the need to respond arise.
“To extend the current service during the busiest part of the season and cover all previously lifeguarded beaches (10 in total), an additional 15 lifeguards are required on duty each day.
“This includes provision for additional lifeguards at existing stations to provide greater levels of contingency cover in instances where staffing levels are depleted, eg, because of absence, major incidents or other extreme circumstances.”
The Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Development Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm on Thursday 15 June. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
This will have the positive knock on effect of reducing pressure on local ambulance service with the specialised skill set of lifeguards. Fully support this action.
We are a tourist hotspot. The council has a responsibility to make sure residents and visitors are safe.
Agreed, and this decision to reverse the previous cuts is, in my opinion, absolutely the right thing to have done. I think many will agree with me on this one.
Why does my had earned money goes to council tax to pay for other people to enjoy the beach??? Learn how to swin! Don’t drain our public resources, please! #bringthegreensback
Consider this Susie, learning how to swim involves knowing about the sea and it’s dangers. Who is best placed to provide that expert knowledge and experience?
Lifeguards.
Tourists have no idea about the sea and its powers: rip currents, tidal suck, depth changes, temperature of the water… and the reputation as a safe place to holiday gets impacted.
Use a high level of lifeguard provision as a marketing tool to invite increased beach use – it is our best draw.
Throw money at beach needs: rolling refuse collections all day long, litter pickers, people selling aftersun and advising idiots giving their kids 1st and 2nd degree burns. People handing out BEACH sun, wind, UV Met office forecasts.
Invest in restoring the heritage railings & features!