Coastguards

In the first post of this year we would like to say good riddance to 2010 and wish everybody a Happy New Year.

In December, we learned the upsetting news that more than half of the UK’s Coastguard stations are to be closed due to budgetary constraints. This is a decision, which we hope the government will re-consider, for the outcome from such a drastic reduction in search and rescue resources will, sadly but undoubtedly, lead to unnecessary loss of life.

Important savings could be devised, especially in respect of cutting the spread and the costs of the Department for Transport's more frivolous, bureaucratic functions, in order to save our coastguard frontline services.

It was particularly disturbing to hear that the Shetlands coastguard centre is one of those planned to be closed, notwithstanding the fact that it covers some of the most dangerous areas of the North Sea and the North Atlantic, where fishermen are likely to be most at risk.

Campaigns aimed at bringing about a change in the government’s plans have been started and petitions have been set up at: http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41468.html 
and http://www.petitiononline.com/ukcghq/