Is the RNLI going bust

bendyone

bendyone

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Just received their Christmas appeal letter.
It states that " we simply do not have the funds we need to replace the boats and kit that have worn out in 2005"
Should we be worried that less lifeboats on servise next year?
 
Around Poole - and elsewhere - the curious yottie speculates on the £multi-million cost of the RNLI College - a giant building intended for training, but dwarfing most local FE colleges in size.

It also has restaurantr, bar and bedroom facilities for those who may wish to stay a night or two while waiting for the HSS to the Channel Isles or France. Local B&B operators are scathing.

And a fair few lifeboat crewmen up and down the land have their own share of pithy comments....

Quite what the 'management consultants' who pore over the RNLI corporate plan had in mind when this huge facility was approved remains a mystery, as does the local Planning Authority's deliberations.

I, for one, won't be contributing very much more to 'empire building' in Poole.

However, the question remains - how many lifeboats would they get for what was spent on this vastly expensive extravagance?

www.lifeboatcollege.org.uk/
 
Having been involved in a quotation for the building of the RNLI's Palace On The Quay (not won), I was given to understand that the RNLI was under threat of having it's charity status with withdrawn on the basis that it had too much by way of funds -unused. The new facility and some of the lavish entertainment or expenses that we hear of, are apparently their way of reducing the treasure and keeping that nice Gordon Brown at arms length.

I have given up collecting for the RNLI after many years.
 
Wasn't it only last year that they were criticised by the charities watchdog for underspending their income by £10 million every year? Their response was, "ah yes, but sometime in the future our donations may drop, and we need a buffer" or words to that effect?
 
Just a quick look through the accounts seems to show the RNLI reserves at £481,000,000 so I dont think they will be going bust in the near future and you can buy a lot of lifeboats for that kind of money!!
 
The RNLI’s accounts show that, due to a reduction in income from legacies it now costs more to run the best lifeboat service in the world than the public donates. It’s interesting to note that the criticism comes from folk who are happy to benefit from this amazing voluntary service so long as someone else pays. Shame on you /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif.
Most of the RNLI’s income comes from non-sailors and only a small proportion of us sailors support through Offshore, the membership scheme designed for us to show our support.
Lifeboat stations tend to last for scores of years, so understandably, both the RNLI and local planning authorities want them to be durable and easy on the eye. One of them won a national design award recently.
The Lifeboat College provides essential training for volunteer crews, who really appreciate it and far from being an indulgence, the accommodation saves the Institution a fortune. Yes, RNLI members can use the facilities too, putting even more money back into saving lives at sea – perhaps our lives? If you are a supporter and read The Lifeboat you will know all these things anyway. If not, perhaps it would be fairer to get your facts straight before criticising one of the few things this country can be really proud of.
 
You're crew aren't you?

Not that that is a problem in any way, but 'shame on you' is a little harsh when shouting out to a whole plethora of sailors you know nothing about.
 
The chaps (and now woman) at the sharp end are the salt of the earth and should be supported. problem is the "management" appear out of touch with reality. The present managment seem to be undoig centuries of goodwill in just a few years. I would happily buy any group of lifeboatmen (people) a pint but I will not support the managemnent.
 
If the RNLI is similar to business the bigger the building the further away from the ground the senior people get then the more out of touch they get.

I am always suprised that the house of commons is not 5000 floors high!
 
Actually I think Nautila's comment is rather fair.

I am sure that the RNLI could improve its spending and that their management aren't as good as they could be. Personally I think that of 99% of charities.

However, the only way that could change is by people like us joining the Gorvernor scheme and using our vote.
Simply criticising on this forum, or no longer making donations isn't going to improve things.

Out of interest, do people think that everything should be handed over to the MCA and that they'd spend the money better?
 
To repeat many earlier posts (just go and search...) the lifeboat college has a POSITIVE annual cashflow impact due to VAT on accomodation and other savings...... How many other FE colleges have a full-size lifeboat simulator, wave tank, etc. etc. etc....

The RNLI has realised over many years that when you build something , you build it to last. That costs money that you have now. You may not have money in the future. As for the "pithy comments" by lifeboatmen up & down the country - ask someone who has been for training. Not a bad word against it.

However, I do question the nature of the wording put in the Christmas appeal letter.

Maxi - I would ask you to shed some light on the "lavish entertainment or expenses " comment....?
 
Well said and welcome to the forum- I detest this decrying of such a superb service. The "complaining" energy could be far better spent on more constructive tasks and outlets.
 
I think it's hard for some people to appreciate that the RNLI is one of the biggest charities in the country, with a turnover of more than £100M and probably more boats than the Royal Navy. An operation that big needs professional management to ensure the service is available now and in the future and to make sure the boats in which volunteer crews risk their lives are up to scratch.

By all means buy the crew a pint (or even two if they're not on call!) but let's not forget that lifeboats don't run on beer. I believe that those of us who enjoy going to sea should support the RNLI in a planned and committed way.

mlw197 is right - the way to influence is from the inside, and the place to question the management is at the AGM. That is the forum in which they are publicly accountable for the way they run the institution.
 
Don't break my heart; They are still one of the richest charities in the country. Apart from the guide dog mob
 
Seems strange to me that on the one hand people criticize the management then the organization is criticized?for being financially sound.In any normal business wouldnt that be a contradiction in terms?

Im sure we can all state examples of RNLI extravagance but surely this is better than them being bankrupt and ultimately being taken over by the MCA or whatever,then the costs really would spiral and the whole ethos would be lost.
 
No, they\'re not going bust....

No, they're not going bust, but it is a fact that much of their money comes from people who never go anywhere near the sea. In fact, mainly from people who don't know anything about the sea. Ordinary people who respond to the RNLI appeals, often giving money which they probably can't really afford to give. That's where I think the RNLI should be a little more upfront.

This year, I received an appeal mailing telling me that the RNLI had been "called out over 8000 times to help people in danger off our coasts in 2003. Most dramatically, the crew of the Swanage lifeboat once plucked to safety five people on board "Be Happy", a yacht battered by huge seas in Violent Storm Force 11 winds". And to demonstrate the terrible dangers involved, the mailing also gave details of a rescue from the yacht "Bacarole" "in gale force winds, crashing surf and dangerously shallow water".

All very impressive stuff, and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be out in that weather. But the "Be Happy" rescue wasn't in 2003, it was in 1996, and the "Bacarole" rescue was in 1993 - 12 years ago! If the RNLI can't come up with more recent examples than that, you start to wonder how many of those 8000 launches were truly to people in danger, as opposed to people who'd run out of fuel, or were unsure where they were, or who couldn't start their engine, etc. The RNLI is an incredible organisation, but they do themselves a disservice by not being more honest.
 
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