Brighton council cuts to lifeguards could be reversed

Lifeguard stations were reduced by almost a third earlier this year as part of the Greens' efforts to plug a multi-million-pound black hole in the council’s finances.

Three stations would be axed as part of the plans to save £100,000.

While the Green administration acknowledged there is a “potential increased risk to public safety”, councillors sought to reassure beachgoers that the busiest areas of the seafront would still be “prioritised and covered”.

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But the cuts sparked uproar from residents, who launched a petition against the plan, as well as from the union Unison, which claimed it would leave the council with “blood on their hands”.

Justine Stephens, who created the Save Our Savers petition, warned at the time that the cuts would “significantly increase the danger of drowning because vital preventative advice and early detection and reaction will be lost”.

“A lifeguard is viewed as non-essential until you need a lifeguard to save a life - then it’s vitally important,” she said.

However, new Labour council leader Bella Sankey has revealed plans to restore the service in time for the summer holidays.

Labour had attempted to block the cut to the service in March but money assigned to save the lifeguard stations was instead allocated elsewhere.

In her weekly column for The Argus, Cllr Sankey said: “My first priority is to review various decisions of the last Green administration.

“The council budget for 2023/24 cannot be wholly undone and we scored several significant victories at the time but there are several issues we are already reviewing.

“One of these is the cuts to lifeguard services: £100,000 as cut from their budget and at the time I, along with the Labour group, expressed concern about the impact on sea safety.

“We are now urgently reviewing the situation and are looking to restore the service in time for the summer holiday season.”

Among the other Green policies being reviewed by the new Labour council are the pedestrianisation of Gardner Street in North Laine.

Labour won control of the council from the Green Party last month, securing the first majority-controlled council in the city for 20 years.