emergency

If you look at the Tower lifeboat station, along the river Thames, in London, it looks as though public services are in rude health.

The RNLI have access to public funds – that being, private donations made by individuals who support them through their advertising, and their campaigning, and fundraising.

It’s not a publicly funded service, in the sense of a national health service, or fire service, and it doesn’t get public funding from the Government.

There it is, however – a public service for the good of those dying at sea, or stuck in trouble in a river, for example.

There is reason to hope that privately funded – that is, charitably funded – enterprises can work for the good, for the long term.

It’s possible, and it’s not only seen with the RNLI.

There’s ample opportunity to see more privately schemed, resourced, and financed projects working up and down the country.

There’s a matter to consider of whether it’s best run privately, or run that way and publicly funded. But, it’s a vitally needed service that’s there, at least.