RNLI to deliver the city's seasonal lifeguard service from summer 2025
Every summer Brighton & Hove City Council recruits a team of dedicated lifeguards who help keep thousands of residents and visitors safe on the beaches.
From this summer they will be trained and managed by the RNLI, under a new partnership agreement with the council.
The agreement, which was signed this week, will see the service being delivered through the RNLI for up to ten years and will see the seasonal beach lifeguards working alongside the council’s year-round Seafront Team.
The decision to transfer the service means Brighton & Hove’s world-famous beaches will join more than 200 others across the country which are managed by the RNLI.
They include major tourist areas along the south coast including Cornwall, Bournemouth and Hastings.
Councillor Birgit Miller, Cabinet Member, Culture, Heritage and Tourism, said: “Thousands of people visit our glorious seafront each summer and keeping them safe and happy is a huge priority for us.
“With council budgets continually stretched, we wanted to look at how we could continue to provide a high-quality seasonal service, while getting the best possible value for money for our residents.
“By working in partnership with the RNLI, which has a proven track record of working with local authorities, we can maintain the current level of service and provide value for money, but also benefit from best practice and knowledge built up over decades.”
The RNLI is a drowning prevention charity, currently 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.
Brighton & Hove 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
Councillor Miller added: “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.
“By transferring the service to the RNLI, we can ensure our high-quality service can be maintained and that residents and visitors can continue to enjoy our beaches safely for years to come.”
Ed Stevens, South East Regional Lifeguard Lead for the RNLI said: “We are proud to have a quarter of a century of lifeguarding experience within the RNLI and we look forward to bringing this to our work with the team in Brighton and Hove for a safe summer on the city’s beaches.”
