Campaign to save cliff lift backed by councillors

Whitby's cliff lift was closed in April 2022 due to corrosion issues and water ingress

A public campaign to save Whitby's historic cliff lift from permanent closure has been backed by coastal councillors.

The lift, which opened in the 1930s, has been out of service since 2022 due to corrosion and water ingress, with council officers recommending it be permanently shut and the top building removed.

According to North Yorkshire Council, reinstating the lift to working order and addressing the water ingress could cost £5.5m.

However, members of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee voted to oppose decommissioning the lift at a meeting on Friday.

No decision has been made on its future with the authority's executive committee yet to rule on the officers' recommendations.

At the meeting, members of the cross-party committee cast doubt on the accuracy of the cost and said a more thorough analysis should be conducted, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Conservative councillor Phil Trumper, who represents Whitby West Cliff, presented his petition to save the "critical asset", which had been signed by more than 5,500 people.

​"The cliff lift symbolises inclusivity and accessibility, and its existence is not an amenity, it's a necessity, and part of our town's charm," he said.

​His motion to invite Anglo American – the mining company that has helped the council establish the current condition of the lift – reassess its state after the winter, was backed by colleagues.

'Financial burden'

Councillor Sandra Turner, Mayor of Whitby, said: "Whitby is consistently in the top five of the most visited coastal towns.

​"This is an absolutely disgraceful suggestion to take away yet more of Whitby, and it feels like the town has been left out on a limb."

Councillors also told the meeting the lift was important for elderly people and those with disabilities.

Conservative councillor David Chance, who was a cliff lift relief operator in 1965, said: "I have a disability and I can't walk down there, it's absolutely impossible, so I have great sympathy for people with disabilities and the bus service just isn't adequate."

A report prepared for the meeting stated that whilst bringing the lift back into service would be "desirable to the community of Whitby, [it] would add to the council's financial burden and reduce funding that would be available for other higher priorities".

​The fate of the free replacement bus service was also discussed with members being told its budget for operation and the reserves from which costs were funded had been "fully utilised".

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