Council funding for Lough Neagh Rescue

MID Ulster District Council has approved plans to provide financial assistance to a volunteer organisation that plays a central role in search and rescue activity on Lough Neagh.

The decision to provide £12,000 to Lough Neagh Rescue (LNR) for costs associated with the 2021/22 financial year was taken at a meeting of the council’s development committee on Thursday, March 10.

Members of the committee were told Covid-19 has impacted the organisation’s ability to voluntarily fund raise to meet annual running costs.

A report on the matter also notes the council provided Lough Neagh Rescue with £12,000 in 2020/21 when it was proposed the service level agreement for future service level requirements and associated funding be reviewed on an annual basis.

Members was advised the request from LNR to the council seeks support towards eligible operating costs of running the service from Battery Harbour from April 2021 to March 2022.

reputation

It is also noted that were the council not to provide this funding there could be “potential damage to Council’s reputation …if the decision resulted in a reduction in service to users of the Lough”.

The financial assistance will, the report claims, benefit the Lough Shore area of Mid Ulster by providing faster response times for rescues and other operations carried out in and around the western shores of Lough Neagh and provide an emergency flood response service for Mid Ulster.

A proposal to approve the £12,000 expenditure was proposed by Councillor Trevor Wilson and seconded by Councillor Sean Clarke with the chamber voicing its approval for the proposal.

Lough Neagh Rescue provides a lifeboat service on Lough Neagh and its tributary rivers, where they deliver a swift water and flood rescue service.

Lough Neagh Rescue can also be tasked by HM Coastguard to help at other incidents throughout Northern Ireland.

They are a registered charity and all crew are unpaid volunteers therefore they continually strive to raise funds for daily operations over the three stations they have around the shores of Lough Neagh.