Government funding for Mountain Rescue

On Tuesday 15th July, Tim Farron Member of Parliament (Westmorland and Lonsdale) Andy Simpson, MR(E&W)National Publicity Officer and Team Leader RPMRT, and Stewart Hulse MBE, (a former TL of LAMRT) will meet Angela Eagle MP, at the Treasury Office, Westminster, to discuss exemption of Vehicle Excise Duty on all MRT vehicles, and to seek an update to a letter delivered to the Treasury in January 2008, requesting that all MRTs are exempt from paying fuel duty.

There is a case being presented to the Treasury Office that the general public give donations to MRTs to make those teams more efficient in providing their already excellent service, rather than losing an element of each donation to pay the teams VED and Fuel Duty costs to Her Majestys Government. (who currently offer no direct support to MRTs despite our providing an essential emergency service).

In the letter, MR(E&W) state that if the agricultural industry and certain public service vehicles can operate on ’red diesel’ then we in Mountain Rescue should be able to purchase ordinary fuel at red diesel prices for our MRT vehicles, which equates to purchasing ordinary fuel less the fuel tax and duty.
Those attending are hoping that the meeting will be positive particularly as it was called by MP Angela Eagle.

In Bolton MRT we fully support this meeting, following on from our own meeting with one of our local Bolton MPs, Doctor Brian Iddon, Bolton South East, regarding HMG funding support for Mountain Rescue, including providing the necessary funding to finance a national Mountain Rescue personal insurance scheme for Mountain Rescue team members.