AT a recent meeting at Redcar and Cleveland Council, it was suggested that Saltburn Cliff Lift was too expensive to keep going.

I’ll say from the start that I have a soft spot for the lift because, as Mayor of Langbaurgh, in 1984, I was present, in Victorian garb, to celebrate the lift’s centenary.

But, there are more objective reasons for keeping the lift in working order.

1. The Victorian town of Saltburn is the jewel in Redcar and Cleveland’s crown and the Clift Lift is the diamond in Saltburn’s tiara.

2. The lift is the oldest water-balanced cliff lift in the UK and provides an integrated link between the upper promenade and the historic pier below.

3. The lift is capable of transporting 150,000 passengers a year, to many of whom the lift provides indispensable transport down to the beach and back.

4. The lift is a working piece of “listed” industrial heritage, awarded a VisitEngland medal in 2018.

5. The lift is truly iconic being frequently used as a symbol of Northern England on the BBC’s Look North introductions.

Without a fully operating cliff lift, the life and image of both Saltburn and Redcar and Cleveland would be seriously diminished.

Steve Kay, Redcar and Cleveland councillor