Forums Forums Local News Liverpool council axes lollipop staff

LIVERPOOL lollipop men and women are to be axed to save the council thousands of pounds.

City officials want to replace 25 of them with unmanned crossings which they say are safer and more reliable.

The cuts are expected to save around £200,000 a year, but teaching unions and opposition councillors said the council was putting children’s lives at risk.

Road safety campaigners say the service should not be cut back for financial reasons.

If alternative jobs cannot be found for the staff, redundancy notices will be issued.

Council finance leader Cllr Flo Clucas recognised that lollipop men and women were an emotive issue, but could be unreliable.

Cllr Clucas said: “Obviously it is safer if you’ve got crossings because you can never guarantee people are going to turn up. With crossings, you’ve got 24-hour coverage.”

In recent years, city leaders have said they needed another 30 lollipop patrols to make up the 159 to ensure safety at school crossings.

THE LIVERPOOL ECHO

How is it that Labour opposition in Liverpool are against getting shut of lollipop persons but on the Wirral Labour in power were talking about doing the same and cutting down on them

It's all about politics and getting in to power