ParaHandy
Well-Known Member
There are 93 UK beaches awarded a Blue Flag for meeting safety, water quality standards etc. Most are owned by local authorities. The Blue Flag guidance requires a risk assessment to be conducted following which any necessary beach safety measures should be put in place. The government, though, won't do more than encourage local authorities to conduct such an assessment; local authorities own most of the beaches and some are not renewing existing beach guarding arrangements due to financial pressures elsewhere. The government does, however, think that local authorities who actively promote their beaches, and all with Blue Flag award trumpet this fact, ought to renew but know that many will not do so.
The government do not want to make safety a statutory obligation as they would have to fund it and, in any event, they have a statutory body responsible for the foreshore - the MCA. They also feel that professional indemnity might be needed for the organisation undertaking the risk assessment which might, for reasons not at all clear, preclude the RNLI who have offered to do so free of charge.
The RNLI provide beach guards on 57 of these beaches (most in the South). Approximately 60% of the cost is met through SLAs (local service agreements). The busiest RNLI lifeboat stations coincidentally have these beaches within their SAR area.
The government’s attitude to voluntary organisations is, to say the least, inconsistent. When its in trouble eg with the criminal justice system, it extols and encourages voluntary organisations to contribute; ditto with beach safety; ditto with the London lifeboat scheme; ditto with the Pensions Ombudsman Scheme, the Housing Corporation, the Friendly Societies running sheltered or care homes and, no doubt, many others. Each organisation has learnt to its cost that this is a one way street …
The government do not want to make safety a statutory obligation as they would have to fund it and, in any event, they have a statutory body responsible for the foreshore - the MCA. They also feel that professional indemnity might be needed for the organisation undertaking the risk assessment which might, for reasons not at all clear, preclude the RNLI who have offered to do so free of charge.
The RNLI provide beach guards on 57 of these beaches (most in the South). Approximately 60% of the cost is met through SLAs (local service agreements). The busiest RNLI lifeboat stations coincidentally have these beaches within their SAR area.
The government’s attitude to voluntary organisations is, to say the least, inconsistent. When its in trouble eg with the criminal justice system, it extols and encourages voluntary organisations to contribute; ditto with beach safety; ditto with the London lifeboat scheme; ditto with the Pensions Ombudsman Scheme, the Housing Corporation, the Friendly Societies running sheltered or care homes and, no doubt, many others. Each organisation has learnt to its cost that this is a one way street …