Volunteer coastguard rescue officers will continue to receive payments for training and emergency call-outs after the Government U-turned on plans to move them onto an expenses-only model from September.

The decision has been welcomed by Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) across the country, including teams in South and South West Devon, after weeks of campaigning by volunteers, unions and MPs who warned the changes could affect recruitment, retention and the future resilience of the service.

Maritime minister Keir Mather announced that the current payment system would remain in place while ministers consider a long-term solution following a Court of Appeal ruling over the employment status of volunteer coastguards.

Coastguard Rescue Officers are officially volunteers but can currently claim around £11 an hour for attending incidents, taking part in training and carrying out maintenance work. A minimum payment of £33, equivalent to three hours, can be claimed even if an incident is resolved sooner.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) had planned to replace the system with an expenses-only model after a January Court of Appeal judgment found that a former CRO was legally a worker rather than a volunteer while receiving payments.

The Government has now confirmed that those plans will not go ahead in September and the existing arrangements will continue while further discussions take place.

Mr Mather said the surveys used to help inform the proposed changes “were not sufficiently detailed” to reflect the impact of these changes, and confirmed current arrangements would remain.

The announcement has been described as a major victory by campaigners, with MPs who supported Coastguard Rescue Officers welcoming the decision.

The issue has been particularly significant for coastal communities in South and South West Devon, where volunteer teams respond to incidents including people in danger on the coast, missing persons, flooding, severe weather and other emergencies.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: “We have listened to Coastguard Rescue Officers and heard the strength of feeling on how changes would affect them. We have agreed with Ministers to pause plans to move to a revised volunteer model.

“The work of the service is vital to keeping people safe, and this pause gives us the time to engage extensively with our hard-working officers, understand more deeply the potential impact of any changes, and ensure their views help inform the decisions we take on how to shape the service going forward.”

MPs said the announcement provided important reassurance but called for meaningful consultation with the more than 3,000 Coastguard Rescue Officers as the Government considers the future of the service.

The pause means volunteers will continue to receive payments for their vital work while ministers examine a long-term approach.

CRO’s have previously warned that removing the payments could make it harder for some volunteers to commit the time required alongside work and family responsibilities, while risking the loss of experienced members with valuable local knowledge.

The Government’s review will now determine how the service operates in the future, with the MCA confirming it will continue engaging with officers before any further decisions are made.

South West MP Rebecca Smith who backed the Save Our Service campaign said: “This is a victory for Coastguard Rescue Officers at Turnchapel and across the country,” but reiterated that conversation is not over.