School crossing patrols are to be axed in a borough that suffers the joint second highest number of road deaths in London.
Up to half of Croydon’s 22 lollipop patrols face being cut by its Tory-run council to save £60,000. Transport for London statistics from 2011 show ten people died on the borough’s road.
Croydon said it plans only to cut patrols where there is a zebra crossing or somewhere safe for children to cross.
Its staff consultation into the plans starts today.
Mother-of-two Jo Wittams, 34, said: “Our lollipop lady saves lives on a daily basis. The children rely on her, she is in the middle of the road shielding the children.”
Jane Fairbourn, headteacher of The Crescent primary school, said: “There are two patrols close to our school and they both face redundancy in March. They are vital and the roads that they help children cross are incredibly busy with cars, buses, and lorries, which travel very fast. Without them, there could be an accident and at the very worst a fatality.”
The move is part of £36 million cuts in Croydon council’s budget announced last month. A council spokesman said: “We simply do not have the money to continue to fund non-statutory services at their current levels.”
