Search and Rescue teams across Scotland will benefit from the budget with an exemption from paying Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) on their rescue vehicles.
The budget announcement by Rachel Reeves today means that volunteer rescue services, which have to raise funds for equipment, will no longer have to pay out thousands of pounds to keep their vehicles on the road.
Voluntary SAR teams – from Mountain Rescue and Lowland Rescue to Cave Rescue and specialist volunteer groups – are a critical part of the UK’s emergency infrastructure. They work alongside police, ambulance and fire services to save lives in some of the UK’s most remote and hazardous environments, and form a vital component of national resilience planning.
The measure, which was spearheaded by Western Isles Labour MP Torcuil Crichton through his role as Chair of the Search & Rescue Parliamentary Group, recognises the vital public service provided by volunteer and professional responders in the Highlands & Islands and across the UK.
In the Commons Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “I will reform our motoring taxes, exempting Search & Rescue vehicles from vehicle excise duty, as called for by my honourable friends, the Members for the Western Isles and for Whitehaven & Workington”
By removing this financial burden to Search & Rescue charities, the Government is enabling SAR organisations to direct more of their limited resources toward life-saving operations, training, and equipment.
Speaking in response to the budget announcement, Inverness & Nairn Scottish Labour candidate Shaun Fraser said: “This is a hugely positive step by the Labour Government and a well-deserved recognition of the extraordinary work carried out by Search & Rescue teams every single day in our mountains, off our coastlines, and in our rural communities”.
Eva Kestner, candidate for Caithness, Sutherland & Ross added: “From the mountain top to the shoreline, SAR volunteers are ready to put their lives on the line to get people to safety every day of the year. This is the Labour government acknowledging that tremendous commitment, so that when they are out on the hill they know we’ve got their back.”
Isla McCay, Scottish Labour’s candidate for Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch stated: “In the Highlands we are all familiar with the work of Search & Rescue teams: from responding to missing-person incidents and severe weather emergencies to assisting in crisis at sea operations. The VED exemption acknowledges this role and ensures that those who volunteer their time and expertise can continue to do so with better support”.
Expressing her support for the move, Highlands & Islands MSP Rhoda Grant said: “Labour is committed to backing those who keep our communities safe. This is a win for the volunteers who give so much, a win for the charities that keep our SAR infrastructure running, and a win for every community across our region that depends on rapid, skilled emergency response”.
Donald Macrae, Chair of Scottish Mountain Rescue, welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement:
“This is a hugely positive step. It means more of our fundraising can go directly into vital equipment and training for our teams across the country. Our volunteers head out in all conditions, every day of the year, this is a tremendous show of support from the government.”