LLANELLI: Coastguard volunteers keep call-out pay as minister confirms U-turn to town’s MP

Coastguard rescue volunteers will keep their call-out pay, after the UK Government confirmed in writing to Llanelli‘s MP that a planned move to an “expenses-only” model will not go ahead.

Shipping minister Keir Mather made the commitment in a letter to Dame Nia Griffith dated 16 July: “I can therefore confirm that plans to move to the expenses-only volunteer model in September will not go ahead, and current arrangements will remain in place.”

The officers are officially classed as volunteers, but can claim around £11 an hour for responding to callouts or training — with a minimum payment of about £33 per incident. Those are the payments the September change would have removed.

More than 3,500 Coastguard Rescue Officers serve around the UK’s coast, rescuing people stuck in mud, water and on cliffs, and assisting in searches for missing people.

The row began with a Court of Appeal ruling in January, which found that by paying its volunteers modest remuneration, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had “inadvertently created a worker relationship” with its rescue officers — meaning the agency had to either restore a true volunteer model or formally adopt a worker one.

On 1 June, officers were told the service would move to an expenses-only volunteer model from September — a decision the minister says was “judged at the time to be the best option” on the agency’s advice.

The plan sparked an outcry, and Dame Nia demanded a rethink — describing the loss of call-out pay as “a real kick in the teeth” for volunteers who drop everything to respond to coastal emergencies.

The minister acknowledged the pressure that followed, with MPs raising concerns through parliamentary questions, a Westminster Hall debate and an Urgent Question — telling Dame Nia her “engagement over this time has played a major part”.

Mr Mather said he had visited a coastguard station in Southampton and met officers from the Hill Head and Portsmouth teams, hearing “first-hand the impact that changes could have on CROs and their families”.

His department then scrutinised how the decision had been made — and found that parts of the information-gathering process, “in particular, the two surveys undertaken, were not sufficiently detailed to properly reflect the impact of these changes”.

The agency’s own survey had warned of the scale of the risk: at least a quarter of volunteers said they would quit or reduce their hours if the payments went — rising to as high as 56% in parts of southern England.

Answering questions in the Commons, Mr Mather said: “When those on the ground raise concerns of the scale that we’ve seen and when the evidence base proves insufficient, it’s absolutely right that we pause and that we engage again… to ensure that we treat CROs with the dignity and respect that they deserve, and most importantly get this system right.”

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it had “heard the strength of feeling” on the changes. A spokesperson said: “We have agreed with ministers to pause plans to move to a revised volunteer model.”

In the letter, the minister paid tribute to the service: “For generations, HM Coastguard‘s coastal response has depended on people from local communities who choose to serve with professionalism, commitment and courage.”

Over the coming months, the agency will carry out further engagement with trade unions, rescue officers and MPs to understand the potential impact of any future changes — and in the longer term, the Department for Transport will “explore options for how Coastguard Rescue Officers can continue to be rightfully recognised and rewarded”.

Dame Nia welcomed the confirmation, telling constituents: “We could see he was heading that way in the questioning we did in Parliament, but good to have it in writing.”

Dr Kelly Stockdale, a coastguard rescue officer, told the BBC the work was highly skilled: “We train for more than 100 hours to be a coastguard officer… our main fear is if people were to leave because they couldn’t afford to continue to commit, we’d not only have fewer people but also the skills and experience that would be lost.”

The GMB union welcomed the reversal but said it should never have been needed — with senior organiser Paul Arkison saying: “These brave and skilled emergency workers do not do it for the money, but the money allows them to do it.”

Coastguard rescue teams are a constant presence along the region’s coastline — including a 4×4 rescue of an injured beach-goer near Bay Campus in this month’s heat.

Current arrangements — including call-out payments — will stay in place while the engagement work is carried out.