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Tourism body 'putting fireworks before lifeguards'

Andrew Turner/BBC Lyndon Bevan, chairman of Visit Great Yarmouth, standing near the RNLI Lifeguards equipment store, which is white and bears the RNLI flag logo. Mr Bevan is wearing black trousers, a red jacket and a Save Hemsby Coastline beanie hat. He is standing outside the Hemsby Lifeboat Station.Andrew Turner/BBC
Lyndon Bevan, chairman of Visit Great Yarmouth, previously said: "What sort of place are we if we can't make the beaches in this borough safe?"

Tourism bosses have been accused of putting fireworks before lifeguards in a row over budgets.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is reviewing spending £29,300 per year to fund RNLI beach lifeguards at Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Hemsby.

The resort's Tourism and Business Improvement Area (Visit Great Yarmouth) has been asked by the council to pick up the cost.

Previously, the chairman of Visit Great Yarmouth told the BBC: "What sort of place are we if we can't make the beaches in this borough safe for the holidaymakers that come? It's a very sad time."

Council leader Carl Smith said at a cabinet meeting that the tourism body "would rather have fireworks than lifeguards".

Asa Morrison, chief executive of Visit Great Yarmouth, said: "We are currently in discussions about the funding and we are expecting to meet with council representatives in January next year."

Andrew Turner/BBC Council leader Carl Smith, standing on the staircase at Great Yarmouth He is wearing a dark grey suit, light grey tie, and white shirt. He is bald, and smiling. Andrew Turner/BBC
Council leader Carl Smith said the tourist board would rather fund fireworks than lifeguards

It is the second year the council has looked to cut its spending on beach lifeguards as it tries to find £300,000 of savings.

The borough has three of the busiest beaches in Norfolk.

Last year, the authority paused the proposed saving in order to find alternative sources of funding.

While the RNLI funds training and provides lifesaving equipment and the lifeguard stations, the council contributes £29,300 to the salaries of the lifeguards.

'Risk to reputation'

But the Conservative-run council is hoping to pass that cost to Visit Great Yarmouth, which generates £500,000 a year through a levy on tourism businesses.

Council leader Carl Smith said at a recent cabinet meeting: "I am meeting with the GYBID but it seems they would rather have fireworks than lifeguards."

He added that the leaders of the group "don't like councillors challenging them".

It is understood that GYBID spends about £130,000 a year on fireworks, a figure that has been criticised as an "obscene amount" by Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Labour opposition group.

He has called for spending to be redirected towards lifeguards, which he sees as playing a vital role in supporting tourism.

Mr Wainwright said: "If one person loses their life on the beach, it will mean the tourism industry will be sunk.

"It is a risk to the reputation of the area."

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