Giles Watling MP, Member of Parliament for Clacton, has backed the local campaign to retain or upgrade the Tamar class lifeboat at the Walton & Frinton RNLI station, amid plans by the RNLI to replace it with a smaller D class Dinghy.
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Mr Watling shared a video to his social media on Tuesday evening that showed him walking through the Palace of Westminster and discussing the campaign and his thoughts. As a local yachtsman who has volunteered with the Walton & Frinton RNLI in the past, he is familiar with both the importance of having a capable and responsive station, as well as the risk that the sea poses to life if RNLI crews don’t have the right equipment.
He now plans to meet with Baroness Vere, Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security, to raise his objections to the plan of scrapping the existing lifeboat and to seek a solution that enables it to remain in Walton & Frinton.
When asked for comment, Mr Watling said that “The RNLI carries out important work up and down our coasts saving lives and rescuing people in need. I am deeply concerned that removing the Tamar class boat from Walton & Frinton, which includes the loss of 10 capable seamen who volunteer to run it, risks undermining this important work. I am seeking a conversation to get some answers for the people of Clacton, and hopefully, help the RNLI to understand what a mistake they’re making by scrapping vital equipment.”
Whilst the Class D Dinghy is capable of responding to serious calls, Mr Watling believes that the Tamar class lifeboat can respond not only to these but also to graver situations. Withdrawing the Tamar to replace with the Dinghy threatens to reduce not only the capacity but also the quality, of the responses that the RNLI carries out from Walton and Frinton.
He has promised to update constituents as soon as he has more information.