Hampshire County Council outlines small boat landing contingency plans

Hampshire County Council has detailed its emergency preparedness regarding potential small boat landings on the county’s coast. The council stated it was prepared to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children through children’s services and maintain the safety of the highway network if such incidents occurred.

While the council participated in planning through the Hampshire and Isle of Wight local resilience forum, it clarified that it did not provide direct operational support to the RNLI during recent Channel crossing incidents, noting that the charity operates independently. The council confirmed that its statutory response functions, including coroner services, were not required to be activated during recent arrivals.