Government support for mountain rescue

Background

A Westminster Hall debate has been scheduled for 2:30pm on 22 April 2026 on government support for mountain rescue. The debate will be opened by Lisa Smart MP.

Search and rescue overview

Search and rescue (SAR) provision in the UK is delivered through an amalgam of government departments, emergency services and various SAR charities and voluntary organisations (such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Mountain Rescue England and Wales). UK SAR is organised through the UK SAR Strategic Committee, an inter-departmental body which is currently chaired by the Department for Transport (DfT).

SAR services provide “personnel and facilities to locate persons in distress, potential distress or missing and recover them to a place of safety providing for their initial medical care or other needs as necessary.”

HM Coastguard is responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of civil maritime and aeronautical SAR. Police forces in England and Wales are responsible for co-ordinating land-based SAR operations where specialist, mainly civilian voluntary teams provide the actual response. These voluntary team are supported by representative bodies, such as Mountain Rescue England and Wales, Lowland Rescue and British Cave Rescue Council.

Mountain rescue

Mountain rescue teams (MRTs) are volunteer-led SAR services which “aid people who are lost, missing, injured or deceased” in “mountainous, remote and often wild terrain and conditions.”

According to Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW), the management body for MRTs in England and Wales, services provided by MRTs include:

• rescuing climbers and lost walkers,
• providing first aid,
• ensuring injured and sick casualties receive hospital treatment,
• helping the police to search for missing people (on and off hills and mountains),
• supporting the police, fire and rescue services and ambulance trusts with major incidents,
• rescuing people from water, 
• rescuing people from floods, and 
• rescuing animals.

There are 47 volunteer MRTs that operate within eight regional bodies in England and Wales. These areas are:

• the Lake District,
• the Mid Pennine,
• the North East of England,
• the Peak District,
• the Peninsula,
• the Yorkshire Dales,
• North Wales, and
• South Wales.

There are also two associate teams, based in South West England.

Responsibility for mountain rescue is devolved to the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Government.

Mountain rescue teams statistics

MREW publishes an annual review of the services provided by MRT every May. According to MREW’s latest annual review, in 2024:

• MRTs responded to 3,784 call outs which resulted in 3,093 deployments (this was a 24% increase on the number of call outs in 2019),
• 2024 was the first time MRTs went zero days without a call out,
• 3,000 volunteers spent 167,411 hours volunteering for MRTs,
• 18- to 24-year-olds were the age group that required assistance most frequently,
• July and August were the busiest months, with 23% of all incidents occurring in these two months,
• 23% of call outs were due to a slip or a trip,
• 17% of call outs were to look for a missing person,
• 8% of call outs were to look for a person who reported themselves lost,
• some of the busiest MRTs included Llanberis (which responded to 327 incidents in 2024), Ogwen Valley (which responded to 180 incidents in 2024), Wasdale (which responded to 169 incidents in 2024) and Keswick (which responded to 157 incidents in 2024), and
• the most frequent interventions by MRTs included the use of a stretcher, helping somebody to walk off, the use of a limb splintage and transporting people in a vehicle or helicopter.

Funding and costs

The operations director at MREW, Mike Margeson OBE, has estimated that each MRT costs between £50,000 to £100,000 a year to run.

MRTs in England and Wales receive no direct government funding and instead rely on donations, fundraising and legacies. In contrast, the Scottish Government provide a yearly grant of £300,000 that is shared between Scotland’s 27 MRTs.

The UK Government has previously provided occasional grants to MRTs in England and Wales, including in 2020 when 11 MRTs received one-off grants totalling £148,407 from the government’s Rescue Boat Fund. The grants awarded to MRTs ranged from £859.29 to £31,398.34.   

In the year ending December 2024, MREW’s total income was £1,248,439, whilst its total expenditure was £1,344,372.

Challenges facing mountain rescue teams

Rise in the number of call outs

The number of MRT call outs increased by 24% between 2019 and 2024.

Similarly, there has been a significant rise in the number of young people requiring assistance, with an 89% increase in the number 18–24-year-olds requiring assistance in 2024 (314) compared with 166 18–24-year-olds requiring assistance in 2019. 

The rise in the number of call outs has been attributed to the “growth in popularity of honeypot locations promoted and shared on social media”.  It has been said that “TikTok tourism” has led to beauty spots going viral which has resulted in more people wanting to visit them.

The CEO of MREW, Mike Park, has stated that social media has changed the profile of the type of people who visit beauty spots and their level of experience and preparedness:

As a broad brush statement, we’ve seen a lot more high maintenance clientele: visitors who are less well prepared for being in the environment, both physically and mentally.

We know from incident reports that more and more people are tempted into risky locations by Instagram posts and the navigation apps being used aren’t always suitable for an outdoor environment. Add to that a tendency to follow popular routes online without knowing the hazards and context, and it’s not surprising that those likely to be relying most on their phones are the ones getting into difficulties.

Chief Superintendent of North Wales Police, Owain Llewellyn, has said that social media posts about Eryri National Park had resulted in an “almost unprecedented” level of visitors and MRT call outs:

What we’re seeing is a dramatic increase in pictures and videos of the area appearing on social media, often posted by influencers.

Some of the footage they’re sharing is absolutely stunning. It really highlights what Eryri has got to offer, but unfortunately some of that footage is taken on a good day when it hasn’t rained.

Then we see visitors coming here, and on the day they arrive, the weather conditions aren’t quite as nice when they get out the car – and they don’t always understand that conditions up in the mountains can be even worse.

The British Mountaineering Council, a representative body for climbers, has stated that the “demanding situation” is “not sustainable in its current form” and fears a scenario where MRTs are no longer able to respond to every call:

There are very real concerns about the well-being of team members and the impact on their families, and working lives. Mountain Rescue team members are incredibly resilient and will continue to respond and rescue to calls for help in the mountains, but there is now a very real danger that teams will not be able to answer and respond safely to every call. What happens when that breaking point finally comes?

Impact of the rising cost of living

In 2022, the operations director at MREW, Mike Margeson OBE, highlighted the impact that the rise in the cost of living was having on MRTs.

Mr Margeson OBE stated that the “squeeze on income, including the cost of fuel to get to rescue bases could lead volunteers to pull back or leave teams entirely.”

He also stated that MRTs were also facing cost pressures, including the rise in the cost of fuel, heating bills, insurance and equipment and a potential decrease in donations as people attempt to reduce their outgoings.

Government action

Changes to vehicle tax for search and rescue vehicles

During the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced that SAR vehicles, including MRT vehicles, would be exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty (more commonly known as road tax). A date for when this exemption will come into force has not yet been announced.

The MP for Whitehaven and Workington, Josh MacAlister, who had been campaigning for an exemption for SAR vehicles, has estimated that it could save some MRT £2,000 a year. Mr MacAlister has also estimated that the exemption will cost the Treasury “around £460,000 per year.” He stated:

Removing VED is a practical, common-sense change that will make a real difference to teams on the ground. 

[…]

Search and Rescue volunteers give their time, skills and courage freely. This exemption recognises their contribution and ensures more of their fundraising can go straight into lifesaving equipment, training and operations.

The chief executive officer of MREW, Mike Park, also welcomed the announcement, stating that it was a “tremendous show of support from the government”:

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.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Dan Tomlinson, stated that exempting SAR vehicles from Vehicle Excise Duty is a “sensible and proportionate step that supports national resilience while easing pressure on volunteers who give their time freely.”

Calls for further government action

APPG for Volunteer Search and Rescue

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Volunteer Search and Rescue was established in June 2025 and aims to “raise the profile of all our volunteer groups […] by demonstrating the value of these volunteer services and the dangers should they no longer exist.”

The APPG has raised concerns about the sustainability of volunteer SAR services given the “exponential rise in the number of call outs” and the physical and mental impact that this has had on volunteers.

The APPG has published a manifesto (PDF) on how the government could better support volunteer SAR services, including MRTs. The manifesto calls on the government to:

• give SAR volunteers the same status as army reservists and special constables so that they receive paid leave from their employee for SAR training and payment for loss of earnings when attending a call out during their working hours,
• appoint a Minister to represent and work with volunteer SAR groups,
• introduce a Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption for all SAR vehicles to reduce the cost of purchase of such vehicles,
• exempt SAR vehicles from Vehicle Excise Duty (this was announced during the 2025 Autumn Budget),
• introduce Crown Indemnity insurance cover for SAR teams to reduce the cost and to provide further protection for SAR teams,
• recognise the physical and mental challenges that SAR volunteers face and provide support so they feel able to continue volunteering, and
• improve safety messaging warning people of the dangers whilst outdoors and exploring nature.

Changes to regulate independent medical care at temporary sporting and cultural events

Following the publication of the Manchester Arena Inquiry reports, the government announced that it would take steps to regulate independent medical care at temporary sporting and cultural events, including removing exemptions that currently allow some medical providers to operate without Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration from 15 April 2026.

This will impact some MRTs who – in addition to their rescuing duties – provide medical assistance and support at temporary sporting events such as fell racing. Whilst MRTs do not charge for this service, they usually receive donations from fell racing clubs and participants in return.

In April 2026, the medical director for MREW, Dr Alistair Morris, told the Commons Library in correspondence that the cost and administrative burden of registering with the CQC would “outweigh the financial gain” that MRT receive when providing medical assistance at events in return for donations.

Dr Morris stated that this would result in “most MRT ceasing to provide cover for events” which will result in “delayed treatment, increased pain and suffering and risks of complications such as hypothermia” for participants at small local events.

Dr Morris stated that MREW sees this as an “unintended consequence of welcome improvements” and that MREW has requested that the government introduces an “exemption for rescue cover.” The government has not yet responded to MREW’s request.