LIFEBOAT crews will continue to enjoy free parking at their Cleethorpes station, council chiefs have agreed.
There will be eight spaces designated for free parking to the emergency crews serving the RNLI lifeboat station.
North East Lincolnshire Council Leader, Councillor Chris Shaw, pictured, said there will be eight bays set aside for the crew members who are on-call and three bays for the tractor and trailer which haul the lifeboat in and out of the water.
The agreement came after a petition was launched to ensure 28 car parking spaces on Cleethorpes front were safeguarded for crews and people associated with the lifeboat station.
But Councillor Shaw said: "I can't go along with giving the station cleaner a free space, nor past crew members. "The crew can have them because they are an emergency service.
"We have never charged the crew and would never do that because they provide a fantastic service.
"They are the only emergency service which does not receive funding."
The Council Leader added: "The beach safety staff are another emergency service.
"We need all three services, the coastguard, the RNLI and beach safety working together to keep everyone safe. We would never do anything to undermine their services."
The new agreement came after around 200 people signed a petition in support of Cleethorpes Lifeboat crew who feared they would have to pay to park next to the station at Brighton Slipway when on call for emergencies.
Each of the on-call crew members will be issued with a parking pass in future.
