As union leaders met MPs to outline their concern over cuts to “life and death” coastguard services, North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell said the case for closure of stations including Fife Ness “has simply not been made.”
Under government proposals, the number of round-the-clock coastguard centres will be reduced from 18 to just three.
On Tuesday the House of Commons transport committee took evidence on the coastguard plans from the Public and Commercial Services Union, the RMT transport union, the Prospect union and the ships masters’ union Nautilus.
If proposals are approved, then just three 24-hour operational centres would survive at Aberdeen, in the Southampton/Portsmouth area and at Dover.
Five sub-centres would open during daylight at Swansea, Falmouth in Cornwall, Bridlington in Yorkshire, either Belfast or Liverpool and either Stornoway or Shetland.
Fife Ness would be closed, with the loss of 14 workers. Staff from the site patrol some 344 miles of coastline and regularly co-ordinate dramatic rescue bids.
Sir Menzies remains deeply sceptical over the proposed cutbacks.
“The case for closure of so many coastguard stations has simply not been made,” he told The Courier.
“At a public meeting in Anstruther a variety of questions were asked of the officials who represented the coastguard agency.
“I had considerable sympathy for the officials who were unable to deal with so many of these questions. However, the responsibility for that must rest higher up in the agency at the level where these plans were formulated.”
Sir Menzies insists there is precious little support for the proposed changes.
“The issues of safety, local knowledge and the volume of nautical traffic remain as powerful now as they did then,” he said.
“These proposals have no support except with the agency itself.”
Shipping minister Mike Penning has said the major reorganisation of the coastguard will improve services and cut costs.
He added that the present system was “not well placed” to meet the challenge of larger ships, congested seas and the increasing number of people visiting coastal areas for leisure activities.
When the coastguard plans were announced last year, RMT leader Bob Crow said, “These proposals must be fought tooth and nail every step of the way.”
A period of consultation regarding the proposed changes is to end next week.