The picture above is my son and his girlfriend both of whom are blind and use the lift.

I wanted to let you all know that I have been away, but now back and will now be seeking an invitation to speak at a public council meeting in due course. I have also made contact with Polly Billington MP for Broadstairs who will be in touch to discuss this matter. Hopefully I will have her support.

In the meantime I received this email from Cllr Kristian Bright Councillor - Viking Ward
Cabinet Member for Parking & Enforcement

It is clearly a none starter in relation to his support for this issue ..... please read his response which makes interesting reading.If you have any questions or thoughts please let me know. Again thank you for supporting this matter 

As promised, I contacted the relevant head of service at TDC for details as to the decision-making around the seasonal operation of our lift in Broadstairs. Below is a summary of the responses I was given

The rationale behind the winter lift closure is that:

Operating the lift requires the Your Leisure Bay Inspector to open and close it daily. 
Winter conditions, such as increased sand movement, would have a negative impact on the operation of the lift. 
Unless swept out of the lift on a daily basis by the Your Leisure Bay Inspector - sand will cause the lift to fail.
Keeping the lift open during the winter would therefore necessitate additional TDC resource (and therefore cost) to open, close, and sweep out the sand during the winter season.
The increased use of the lift from year-round operation is highly likely to result in more frequent failures. The lifespan of parts would be reduced through the combination of increased overall use and asking them to operate at low, winter temperatures
 

The annual maintenance cost of operating the lift during the summer varies from year-to-year depending on the level of repairs required. For reference, here are the most recent years: 

2023/24 £5,942.85
2024/25 £13,961.29
2025/26 £3,900 to date plus inspection engineer visit TBC
 

These costs include:

Lift Close Down by Engineer (Winter)
Open Service/repairs and maintenance (Spring)
Zurich annual insurance inspection engineer visit
Call outs (regular in peak season where groups of young people jump up and down in the lift for fun or when lift is not functioning correctly)
By opening the lift year round, the TDC would therefore need to fund the cost of 5 additional months of bay inspector - in the region of £10,000 - plus the additional engineer call-outs due to the increased wear and tear on parts. 
 

Given that the lift usually needs repairs after its winter closure, I asked whether this would be negated by the ongoing maintenance it would receive if in year-round operation.

The response I received was clear that there would be no efficiency gain by opening all year as the lift would still require an annual inspection and service, which would identify necessary repairs and costs - closing the lift while work is undertaken.

As the ward councillor for Viking, I'm incredibly passionate about making Broadstairs the best it can possibly be and that we meet the needs of all of our residents - especially those who need additional help. That's why I've been a strong advocate from within TDC's controlling political group for the renovations to our existing public toilets and the construction of brand new, beach level, accessible toilets on Stone Bay. 

Given the written responses I've had with officers, and the additional conversations I've had with them however, I don't believe that keeping the lift open all year is a viable option for the council as the cost of doing so would be prohibitive whilst the increased maintenance required would also mean it would be regularly out of action anyway.

I appreciate that the above doesn't give you the response that you wanted but I hope you understand the council's rationale behind the seasonal opening of the lift. You are - of course - still completely welcome to bring a petition to the council and/or ask a question of the relevant Cabinet member at Full Council. As your councillor, I will be more than happy to offer you guidance in the matter if you choose to do either course of action. 

To end on a positive note - the head of service has agreed that in 2026, his team will bring the annual inspection of the lift forward from early March to early February. This would give them a longer lead-time in which to carry out any repairs and ensure the lift is fully up and running in time for Spring. 

Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions.

Kind regards

Kristian