If you want school crossing patrols, pay up

Posted on December 22, 2015

Devon County Council is consulting on a proposal that ‘school communities’ that want to keep their crossing patrols should fund them themselves. DCC would only make sure that provision met legal standards. You can comment here, but you’ve only got until 8th January.

The Council’s own impact assessment shows that a child is injured each week in a road accident in Devon around home-to-school travel times, and there are occasional fatalities. Moreover crossing patrols are essential for parents to feel comfortable about their children walking to school – cue a big increase in car use if they were abolished.

So doubtless schools like Seaton’s will feel it’s essential to raise the money – a form of blackmail by the County Council. Although legally Devon have got to make cuts, school crossings are a well-functioning and essential service. Leave well alone!

These cuts show the madness of George Osborne’s ruthless drive to starve  local government services of necessary funds. He might better start with the tax avoidance that saw Facebook pay £4,300 tax last year on a £3 billion turnover in the UK, roughly the same as paid by a worker on £30,000 a year.