Schools to pay for crossing patrols

Cuts of more than £146m to the council’s budget means that it can no longer provide the service free of charge, it said.

A plan has been put forward to charge schools and academies to cover the cost.

And a consultation opens today to give all schools and members of the public the opportunity to comment on the idea until Janurary 12.

Service director for planning, transportation and highways said Neil Rodgers: “We fully appreciate the importance of school crossing patrollers in our community and this is a service we want to continue.

“However, huge cuts to our budget mean we have to make some very tough decisions and in this case look how we can do things differently.”

He said that many councils have stopped this service altogether. Although the council has no statutory responsibility to provide the service, in law schools cannot independently employ a school crossing patroller. It is proposed that each school will be charged on an individual basis and the cost would be based on a standard hourly rate and dependent on the number of hours the patrol is required.

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