Therese has reacted with fury following the decision by the Chief Executive of the RNLI, Mark Dowie to refuse to meet her to discuss the future of Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station. She had previously written to ask for an urgent meeting after she was informed of a possible ‘downgrade’ of the local lifeboat capabilities via an RNLI review. There is a risk that the current Mersey-class lifeboat will be replaced by an inshore Atlantic-85, which would restrict the current capabilities of the station and its crew members.
Therese said: “I have received numerous letters from constituents who are concerned about the approach the RNLI has taken on this issue. There was a Life-Saving Review carried out in 2017 where it was concluded that the station required a new all-weather lifeboat. The consensus locally has been to opt for a Shannon-class lifeboat and two significant donations were previously received to cover the cost of the boat as well as launching equipment. Contrary to what the RNLI suggests, I understand there is a restricted fund for Aldeburgh of some £2.4m. Not only is it concerning that there appears to be little progress in considering this preferred option, there now seems to be a real risk of a downgrade, which is not helped by the lack of transparency from the RNLI.”
Therese added: “I’m furious that the Chief Executive has dismissed my offer to meet. Wells-next-the-Sea has only recently replaced their lifeboat with the Shannon-class following a 2014/15 public appeal so, it’s unclear to me why Aldeburgh is not being provided the same opportunity, especially when local funding has already been given. I’m determined to continue my campaign to get answers from the RNLI and have replied robustly to the Chief Executive.”
