Pembrokeshire Assembly Member Angela Burns spoke at the “Rally On The Rath”, organised to gather support to prevent the Milford Haven Coastguard from closure.
Mrs Burns commented, “It was an important day for the concerned people of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. It was a day for the community to voice their opinions and rally support for stopping the closure and I am proud to have been a part of it. The consultation document by the Maritime Coastguard Agency which highlights the proposed closure raises a number of concerns for us in Pembrokeshire not least the safety aspects given the vast number of users on our waterways.
I have requested a meeting with the Minister for Shipping, Mike Penning MP, and at the rally I invited Assembly Members from other parties to join me because I believe this is above tribal politics as there are far reaching consequences, not only for the users of the waterways but also for the jobs at Milford Haven and for our Tourist Industry.
We need to understand why the Maritime Coastguard Agency have put this plan forward, why they believe the Mumbles station would be adequate during the day and why they think we do not need night cover based in Wales. How they believe local and specialised knowledge can be preserved when they are prepared to lose skilled workers, how they can carry out the myriad of non water based functions the Coastguard currently undertake and how they can ensure the waterways remains safe for the residents of Pembrokeshire and for all seafarers whether in a kayak or an LNG carrier.”
