Shortage of school crossing patrols getting worse

Freedom of information figures obtained by the GMB union show school crossing patrol officer numbers dropped in the region by 378 from 1,433 in 2009/10 to 1,055 in 2017/18, the second worst behind the West Midlands.

The data outlines the shortfall which was exposed in a Wigan Post article last year which showed that more than a third of school crossing points across the borough are not staffed, leaving parents and children to cross the roads alone.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed Wigan Council currently employs 71 people to man school crossings.

But there are 112 crossing points across the borough - meaning there is a shortfall of 41 members of staff.

Wigan Council said it is undertaking another recruitment drive to try and change this, although it has already run two recruitment campaigns.

Mark Tilley, assistant director for infrastructure at Wigan Council, said: “The council is looking to recruit for vacancies in the borough and has already conducted two recruitment drives this year and is in the process of appointing more school crossing patrols.

“There is not enough patrol staff to cover every school, we have to have a priority risk rating for each school. These ratings are based on a number of risk factors - for example, speed, visibility, the number of unaccompanied children going to school and the number of parked cars nearby.”

He said the council will be working in partnership with the schools in the recruitment process and encouraging people in the local community to come forward and apply.

He added: “Furthermore, our road safety teams offer road safety education lessons throughout the borough and always look to engage with schools whenever possible on how they can educate children better on the possible dangers.

“But we ask drivers, parents, carers and school children to be mindful and extra vigilant when driving and walking in the vicinity of schools.”

Nationally, Great Britain has lost more than 2,000 lollipop men and women in the last ten years, according to the GMB figures. In 2009/10 there were 7,128 and by 2017/18 that had dipped to just 5,047 – a drop of 2,081.

Rehana Azam, GMB National Secretary, said 10 years of “brutal Tory austerity” has left scars right across society.

She said: “No parent wants to get the call that their child has been involved in an accident, but that’s the risk council’s are taking because they are so cash-strapped.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Next year, councils in England will have access to £49.2 billion – the biggest annual real-terms increase in spending power in a decade.

“Councils, not central government, are best placed to know what their communities need and are responsible for delivering services for residents.”