Brighton & Hove’s lifeguards could be managed by the RNLI in the future, following committee agreement to look at options for how the service can be provided from 2025.
Every summer Brighton & Hove’s lifeguards play a vital role in keeping our residents and visitors safe along the 13km of coastline from Hove Lagoon to Saltdean.
To ensure a high-quality seasonal service can continue to be provided in the best way to meet the staff and the city’s needs, the council is looking at alternative ways it can be delivered.
Officers have reviewed the way lifeguard services are delivered across the country and have set out recommendations for two proposed approaches to managing the service from summer 2025.
These are:
At the Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Committee meeting on Thursday 18 April, councillors agreed for officers to further explore these approaches and decide how the service will be delivered from summer 2025.
Councillor Alan Robins, chair of the Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Committee said: “Millions of people visit our seafront each summer and keeping them safe and happy is a huge priority for us.
“Lifeguards need to respond to challenging and sometimes traumatic events, so it’s essential they have the right training, equipment and wellbeing support to deal with any situation.
“Though they provide a vital, life-saving role, lifeguards are not a statutory service.
“By exploring how our lifeguards could be managed differently, we can ensure a high-quality service can be provided so residents and visitors can continue to enjoy our beaches safely for years to come.”
Lifeguards patrol the city’s busiest beaches from the end of May until the end of the school holidays in September.
They are responsible for managing emergency responses to water and land-based incidents.
Lifeguards also monitor sea conditions, share safety advice, and help with first aid, finding lost children, enforcing by-laws and providing tourist information.
The beach lifeguard service is currently managed by the council’s Seafront Team and funded through the council’s Seafront budget. The cost for the 2024 summer season is £482,193.
Find out more about the city’s current seasonal lifeguard service on the seafront pages on the council’s website.
The RNLI is a drowning prevention charity that’s celebrating its 200th year of saving lives at sea. Volunteer lifeboat crews provide a 24-hour search and rescue service and the charity operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland, including at Brighton Marina.
The RNLI has a proven track record of providing lifeguarding services to local authorities and already provides a lifeguard service to 238 beaches around the UK including, in Sussex, at Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Bexhill, Hastings and Camber Sands.
If the RNLI option is chosen to take on the city’s seasonal lifeguarding service, they will start in the 2025 season and work alongside our Seafront Team.
Read the full report on the proposed future arrangements for the Seasonal Beach Lifeguard Service on the committee section of the council’s website.
