Councillor Robert Miller submitted a recision motion in an effort to reinstate an extension to the service proposed for the south end of Mollymook Beach.

After voting in September to extend the operation to three months this summer, councillors last month ditched the proposal because of a lack of available funds, outraging Cr Miller.

The recision motion at last Thursday’s meeting was beaten seven votes to five, with council now set to review the service for next year.

Cr Miller told the Times he was “extremely disappointed” with the decision.

The vote came down to dollars, with the service expected to cost about $28,000, which was not included in council’s budget.

Cr Miller said he would be working hard to find the money before December when the service was set to commence.

It will instead operate daily for six weeks of the Christmas holidays in addition to the Mollymook Surf Club’s volunteer service.

Cr Miller said he was disappointed that the beach would not be patrolled on a daily basis until the end of December, with volunteers only available on weekends.

“People can drown on any day of the week,” he said.

He said tourist operators and shop owners had reported an increase in tourist numbers over the last six months.

“It will only continue to grow and we are attracting more international tourists who are unfamiliar with Australia’s beaches.

“We have a responsibility to provide visitors and locals with somewhere safe to swim.”

Cr Miller said councillors had indicated they would revisit the proposal when preparing next year’s budget.