At last weeks Somerset Full council meeting, Councillor Tony Grimes expressed significant concerns regarding the abrupt withdrawal of insurance coverage for volunteer groups in Burnham-on-Sea and Berrow, particularly those involved in beach cleaning efforts. This sudden change left dedicated volunteers without the necessary public liability insurance, hindering their essential community work.
Councillor Grimes began by highlighting the longstanding contributions of the beach cleaning volunteer group. "They've done it for many years and have always been covered by Sedgemoor’s insurance for public liability. This was withdrawn a few weeks ago with virtually no notice at all," he stated. He emphasised the critical nature of the issue, noting the potential widespread impact on other volunteer groups throughout Somerset. "If this is the case, surely this is going to affect every other volunteer group throughout Somerset," he pointed out.
The urgency of the matter was clear as Councillor Grimes detailed the lack of notice given to the volunteers and their subsequent instruction to obtain their own insurance coverage. "They were given virtually no notice at all and told to basically get their own cover to do this," he added, urging the council to address the issue promptly.
Responding to Councillor Grimes’ concerns, Duncan Sharkey, Chief Executive of Somerset Council, acknowledged the problem and said, "It's a technical issue in that the insurance technically cannot apply to non-incorporated groups. If the volunteers were part of the council, had been through the council's training programme, and were managed by the council, then the insurance could cover them," Sharkey explained.
He assured that the council is actively seeking a solution. "We are looking into this, and we are having those conversations to see if there's another way around the issue. The work they do is invaluable, and we're really impressed with their commitment," he said.
