'Recognise our invaluable independent lifeboats' - call for Government funding

Calls have been made for the Government to reinstate the Rescue Boat Grant Fund, axed five years ago.

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Paul Holmes, the MP for Hamble Valley, Hampshire, said independent lifeboats played a crucial role in coastal rescues around the UK, but were facing financial constraints.

"Independent lifeboats are a vital part of our national rescue capabilities, yet they operate under financial constraints [being] entirely funded through local donations, grants and through the power of the community", he said during a Westminster Hall debate.

Holmes asked the Government to reinstate a Rescue Boat Grant Fund, which donated £5.7million to 104 independent inshore and inland rescue boat charities around the UK between 2015 and 2020, as recognition of the volunteer lifeboat crews' 'invaluable work'.

There are approximately 80 independent lifeboats around the UK, of which 36 are members of the National Independent Lifeboat Association (NILA), which was formed in 2022.