The long-running dispute over the future of Ceredigion’s only all-weather lifeboat in New Quay has taken a new twist with the RNLI announcing that it is cutting ties with campaigners fighting for her retention.

Back in December, a joint statement issued by the RNLI and the Ceredigion Lifeboat Campaign stated they had agreed to regular meetings to discuss the proposed reconfiguration of lifeboats in the New Quay area as a ‘platform to review concerns’.

At the time, both camps welcomed the opportunity “to exchange views and data, and to work constructively towards ensuring the most appropriate future lifeboat configuration for the Ceredigion coast”.

But in a recent letter to the CLC, George Rawlinson, the RNLI’s operations director, stated that: “It has become increasingly apparent to us that the dialogue is not heading towards a positive or productive outcome for either party.

“We have therefore reached the conclusion that further liaison with the CLC is not appropriate.”

A CLC spokesperson cited “cultural differences” for the breakdown.

“The RNLI has consistently made it clear that it is not prepared to submit its decision to public or peer group scrutiny, whereas the CLC is an open organisation, encouraging two-way dialogue with local stakeholders,” they said.

“It is vital that the CLC retains the trust and confidence of the people we represent. We would lose that trust if we were to engage with the RNLI behind a veil of secrecy."

See this week’s South Ceredigion paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now