MPs AND councillors are calling for an urgent rethink on removing payments for coastguard rescue officers (CROs), fearing it could have dire consequences for coastal communities across Devon and Cornwall.

The 400 volunteer officers operating across 36 teams in the two counties are considered a vital lifeline responding to emergencies at sea and helping in other rescue missions. They are among 3,500 highly trained coastguard volunteers across the country who currently receive an hourly remuneration for incidents.

That is due to end in September as a result of a legal challenge over the status of volunteers, and a subsequent Court of Appeal hearing which confirmed that they qualify as “workers” and are entitled to statutory benefits such as sick pay and holiday pay.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) says it has decided to transition to a “revised volunteer model” ending the £11 an hour payments for call-outs. The move has provoked anger nationwide and particularly in Cornwall and Devon, with people being urged to sign a petition so the issue can be discussed in parliament if it reaches 100,000 signatures by October 13.

There are approximately 350 volunteer CROs operating across 16 Coastguard Rescue Teams (CRTs) throughout Cornwall. They are stationed around the coastline, from Bude to Newquay, St Agnes to Land’s End, Penzance to Mevagissey. The teams are managed and coordinated by professional Coastal Operations Officers, with the main regional headquarters based at the Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).

North Cornwall Liberal Democrat MP Ben Maguire is backing volunteer coastguards in demanding the MCA has a rethink. He has taken the issue to Parliament, leading calls for action through an urgent question and a cross-party parliamentary motion aimed at highlighting concerns about the impact the changes could have on coastal communities.

“Any move to reduce or remove remuneration is deeply concerning,” he said. “It risks undermining morale, placing additional pressure on individuals already undertaking demanding and often dangerous work, and may ultimately lead to resignations or make recruitment of new volunteers more difficult.”

Liberal Democrats on Cornwall Council led by Cllr Nicky Chopak (Lib Dem, Poundstock) and Cllr James O’Keefe (Lib Dem, Padstow) are supporting Mr Maguire’s Parliamentary efforts with a motion in support of volunteer coastguards being prepared.

“Volunteer coastguards put themselves on the front line to protect others, often in difficult and dangerous conditions,” said Cllr Chopak. “We’ve seen only too recently the challenges that residents and visitors can face along our coastline, whether that’s getting caught by changing tides, becoming stranded on cliffs, or finding themselves in difficulty in the water.

“Knowing that dedicated coastguard volunteers are on call provides real peace of mind for local people and the many visitors who come to enjoy our coast. They deserve our support and recognition.”

Communities have also come out in support of the coastguard volunteers. Ray Nash of the Toby Jug Cafe in Boscastle said: “Boscastle knows better than most the value of our coastguard teams. We’ve seen their bravery, compassion and unwavering commitment to keeping people safe. We stand with them - today and always.

“These are highly trained people who have to qualify each year to do what they do in rope rescue, flood rescue, lost person training and first aid and various other things. There is a lot. Taking the payments away is not giving them the respect they deserve.”

Mr Nash has shared on his Facebook page the views of a coastguard, who has served for ten years and asked to remain anonymous. “I do it because I love it,” he said. “It can be incredibly rewarding, and sometimes you genuinely make a difference to someone’s worst day.

“But it can also be traumatic. I still remember one incident where I helped place a young lad into a body bag. That month, for all the calls and responsibility, we received £21. That’s not me complaining about not being paid enough - it’s simply to show that nobody is doing this for the money.

“We give up hundreds of hours of our own time every year. Training on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, call-outs at all hours, and mutual aid deployments that can last for days helping other emergency services.

“From September 2026 onwards, all of this looks set to be compromised. Many serving coastguards will unfortunately be faced with a choice between responding to emergencies or losing money at a time when most households are already feeling the squeeze.

“We’re part of the UK’s 999 emergency response system, ‘funded by the government’, yet from September many volunteers will find themselves paying out of their own pockets to save lives along our coastline. That should concern everyone.”

The MCA spokesperson said the decision followed a legal judgment which meant it needed to change how the service operates. “This new model protects choice, flexibility and the ability for people to volunteer alongside their primary employment,” it said.

“We deeply value and recognise the significant service CROs provide along our coastline and we will be supporting them during this transition.”

The UK parliament petition, called “Introduce legislation to make it possible to remunerate emergency volunteers”, was started in Scotland by John Bradbury, who spent over 50 years with HM Coastguard and received an MBE in recognition of his decades of dedicated service to saving lives at sea. It can be found at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763675