Dr Simon Opher, Labour Member of Parliament for Stroud, has warmly welcomed the Government’s decision to exempt vehicles used by UK Volunteer-led Search and Rescue (VSAR) organisations from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).
VSAR teams – from Mountain Rescue and Lowland Rescue to Cave Rescue and specialist volunteer groups – are a critical part of the UK’s emergency infrastructure. They work alongside police, ambulance and fire services to save lives in some of the UK’s most remote and hazardous environments, and form a vital component of national resilience planning.
Unlike statutory emergency services, these volunteer organisations receive no state funding and rely heavily on donations and charitable fundraising. Many operate specialist off-road vehicles fitted with essential rescue equipment – the very vehicles that until now remained liable for VED, placing significant financial strain on already stretched budgets.
Locally, we are lucky to have The Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) who are tasked by HM Coast Guard and the other Emergency Services. It provides Inshore Lifeboat Search and Rescue (at sea and on tidal waters), Land Search & Rescue (locating vulnerable missing people), Inland Water and Flood Rescue (responding to floods and river or canal emergencies) and Cliff/Rope Rescue. SARA has several Flood teams and, although usually local and most recently in Monmouth, can respond anywhere in the UK if tasked by DEFRA. The charity has more than 200 members who are on-call 24hrs 365 days of the year and responded to more than 140 ‘shouts’ in 2024.
Dr Simon Opher said: “This announcement is incredibly welcome. Our volunteer Search and Rescue teams donate their skills, time, and bravery to keep the public safe – often in the toughest conditions imaginable. It’s only right that their specialist vehicles are exempt from VED. This is a fair, practical, and long-overdue change, and I’m pleased to see it happening.
“Charities, like SARA locally, operate on minimal funding, yet provide a service that would cost the public purse millions to replace. This exemption recognises their value and helps ensure more of their money goes directly into lifesaving work.”
David Hill (General Executive Officer – SARA) said: “SARA has several vehicles in our fleet, ranging from 4x4s and crew minibuses to Incident Control Units, based at our 7 Stations across Gloucestershire, Gwent and Worcestershire. As a charity we are very dependent on donations from local businesses and the ever-generous public, but we also seek to reduce our operating costs wherever we can.
“This latest change in the VED requirements will make a significant difference to us and we are very grateful to Simon Opher and his MP colleagues who supported and secured this change from the Government.”
There are an estimated 500 SAR vehicles affected by the change – many of them Land Rover Defenders that incur both standard VED and the additional luxury car supplement. The total annual cost of the exemption to the Treasury is estimated at around £460,000, a modest sum that will deliver significant financial relief to teams nationwide.
The exemption requires primary legislation and is expected to come into force in 2027.
