The Oldham Liberal Democrats want to see government financial support for the UK’s mountain and cave rescue services; air ambulance services; and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute.
At the next meeting of the Full Council (Wednesday 8 Sept, 6pm), Crompton Councillor Dave Murphy and Shaw Councillor Hazel Gloster will be calling for government cash for these unsung emergency services run by courageous and selfless volunteers.
“With the ending of COVID restrictions, more people will be out and about on our moors or visiting the seaside, and there will be greater demands on these services as a result”, said Councillor Murphy. “It is great that the public have historically given generously to support these services, but after the lockdown, a great many people will be losing their jobs and charitable donations will come a distant third to paying the bills and putting food on the table”.
The 9 September is Emergency Services Day, and the Liberal Democrats believe that ‘some government funding should be provided to guarantee these invaluable services a certain level of income every year’.
Councillor Hazel Gloster explained: “The Prime Minister has talked about the levelling up agenda, and we believe that as part of levelling up the government should provide some funding to these local and regional services to ensure they all have a guaranteed income to meet their core costs. We don’t want to discourage charitable giving by the public, and perhaps the government could match donations pound-for-pound up to a certain level.”