All lollipop ladies and men will be axed across Bristol under city council plans to save money. The local authority is proposing to “remove funding” from school crossing patrols from April as part of its annual budget.
Letters have been sent to every lollipop person saying they are “at risk” of losing their jobs, sparking uproar from parents. The plans would save the council £314,000 a year, a relative drop in the ocean compared with the £52million funding gap it faces over the next five years.
An angry parent at Bridge Farm Primary School in Whitchurch, South Bristol, said the idea was “absolute insanity”. She said: “We have three lollipop ladies at our school, and this would be a huge loss.
“It is an absolutely shameful move by the council. These people’s roles are so important to ensuring the safety of children.
“They’re literally contracted to work five hours per week. This council squanders money left, right and centre – just look at the money being poured into Bedminster at the moment, or the ridiculous overspend on the Bristol Beacon.
“I’m honestly fuming about it, not least because our lollipop lady is the loveliest lady you’ll ever meet. She knows absolutely everyone’s names, buys the kids little toys for Halloween and is just lush, she’s been doing it for nearly 20 years.”
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Bristol Labour group leader Cllr Tom Renhard said: “One serious injury on Bristol’s roads is one too many. We are deeply concerned that Green Party plans to scrap school crossing patrols will put children in harm’s way.
“Councillors unanimously voted to support ‘Vision Zero’ – a strategy for zero road deaths or serious injuries in Bristol. Sadly, the Greens seem to have now abandoned these plans.
“Bristol needs more school streets and road safety measures – not less. We hope the Greens will see sense and drop this ill-thought-out proposal.”
Statistics show that children from the poorest households are 28 times more likely to be killed in roads compared with better-off youngsters. Kids in the most deprived areas are over five times more likely to be injured in motor traffic collisions than those in the least deprived areas.
Budget papers to be considered by Bristol City Council ’s finance sub-committee on Wednesday, January 15, said the authority would consult schools on “alternative safety and funding measures”. Councillors could accept or refuse the proposals from officers before sending their recommendations to the strategy and resources policy committee, ahead of the final budget decision by full council next month.
A report to the sub-committee said the authority faced a £42million funding shortfall next year, which would rise to £110million in five years, mostly because of demand from adults’ and children’s social care. Council leader Cllr Tony Dyer (Green, Southville) said the council would face bankruptcy if it could not close the financial gap so needed to make tough decisions.
He said: “This is a very tough time for Bristol, and we recognise the difficulties being faced by many households and communities. This will not be a perfect or painless process – with the challenges we face it was never going to be.”
The council proposed cutting lollipop patrols in 2018 but faced widespread opposition. It decided to keep only school crossing patrols at locations where there was not a traffic light crossing or a zebra crossing already.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that talks are ongoing between the council and schools over individual patrols.
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