Whitby Residents and Councillors Unite in Fight to Save "Vital" Cliff Lift Amid Accessibility Fears

Residents and councillors have joined forces to challenge North Yorkshire Council's proposal to permanently decommission the 93-year-old structure, arguing that its loss would effectively bar many people with disabilities from the town’s shoreline.

The future of Whitby’s historic West Cliff Lift remains the focus of intense local debate following a packed meeting of the Scarborough and Whitby Local Area Committee this week. 

The lift, which first opened in 1931, has been out of service since 2022 due to significant corrosion and water ingress. While the council has cited a "worst-case" repair estimate of £5.5 million, residents at the meeting described the asset as a "necessity" rather than a luxury.

For local resident John Howard, the current lack of a functioning lift has already had a profound impact on his family’s ability to enjoy the coastal amenities. He expressed deep frustration with the current temporary measures, stating:

"I'd like to know how closure could even be considered given the obvious and growing need for access to the huts, cafe, and toilet areas.

My wife and I have been effectively denied access to all these facilities since the lift's hopefully temporary closure as the minibus option provided was little more than a joke. Access to it was totally unsuitable and its dropping off point at considerable distance from where we needed to be.

Whitby needs the lift and it's your job to make sure speedy repairs are put in place and a suitable and proper maintenance schedule instigated".

These concerns were echoed by fellow resident Bonita Nicholson, who questioned the fairness of removing a primary access point to the beach for vulnerable members of the community. She told the committee:

"Somebody with a disability cannot get down to that beach. My daughter, my parents. How is it right to deny many people with disabilities to access our beautiful blue beach?".

The strength of feeling from the public gallery found strong support among coastal councillors. Councillor Rich Maw, who recently experienced mobility challenges himself following a skiing accident, argued that the council must not reduce accessibility for the sake of cost-cutting. He stated:

"To roll back on accessibility options for both residents and tourists, it just simply cannot be an option.

I've recently become temporarily disabled and I'm learning very swiftly what it means to be unintentionally marginalized.

I've heard today how the mini bus is unfit. It doesn't have a ramp. You can't get chairs often on it. It parks too far away.

This committee should send a message to the exec that it must commit to reinstate the cliff lift.".

Whitby Councillor Phil Trumper also lent his weight to the campaign, emphasising that beach access should be a universal right for everyone visiting the North Yorkshire coast. He said:

"It's also important that everybody is able to access our fantastic beach and you know and beaches etc. So again this is why we need to repair the cliff lift.".

However, the council's leadership maintains that the beach remains accessible despite the lift’s closure. Chris Bourne, North Yorkshire Council's Head of Harbours and Coastal Infrastructure, defended the authority’s position by pointing to alternative routes to the sands. He told the meeting:

"It is not right to deny people with disabilities access to the beach, and North Yorkshire Council is not denying people with disabilities access to the beach.

Like most UK beaches, the beach can be accessed via slipways and ramps. A beach wheelchair is also available.".

Despite these assurances, the committee passed a unanimous motion calling on the council’s executive to reconsider the closure. Members expressed concerns that the £5.5 million repair figure might be inflated, with Councillor David Chance suggesting the estimate may have been "plucked out of the air to justify inaction".

The debate also touched on the wider economic and heritage impact for the region. Councillor Janet Jefferson noted the necessity of preserving the local economy and employment, while Councillor David Jeffels drew a sobering comparison to a similar loss in Scarborough, where a former cliff lift in the North Bay is "still sorely missed decades later".

A final decision on whether to proceed with decommissioning—at a projected cost of up to £538,000—or to invest in repairs is expected to be made by the North Yorkshire Council executive committee on 17 March.