Southampton City Council is asking schools to pay for crossing patrols, which are currently free

As revealed in yesterday’s Daily Echo, the city council is asking schools to pay for the patrols, which are currently free, or they will disappear.

The move comes after the council rubber stamped £21m of cuts and new ways of raising income for 2016/17, with consultation open on another £8m of proposals.

As the Labour-run council continues to grapple with dwindling grant money from Government, the council is now looking to charge schools for services it offers for free or partly pays for.

As well as 49 school crossing patrols, which cost the council £208,000 to run a year, other services such as educational psychology and library and music services are also under threat unless schools stump up more cash.

City cabinet member for education Dan Jeffery had told the Daily Echo that the move was about trying to make up a £736,000 deficit in services offered to schools by the council.

He said: “We think it’s a fair ask that schools should make a contribution to the service.”

It means schools will now have to find available finances in their budgets to fund the services, with negotiations ongoing about exactly how much that will be.

Liz Filer, headteacher at Valentine Primary School in Sholing, said the school was currently looking at its budget for next year and so could not give any further details about whether it would be able to fund its two patrols.

But she said: “Obviously they are extremely important for the safety of our children as some of our roads get very busy, and we will be making it a priority.”

The move has been criticised by some, with opposition councillors, parents and road safety charity Brake calling on the council to think again.

Natalie Carr uses the school crossing patrol on Newtown Road to walk her eight-year-old daughter Amber to Weston Park Primary School.

The 44-year-old told the Daily Echo: “There is a lot of concern from parents.

“When the lollipop man or woman are there we can rely on them because the traffic is really bad on that road.”

She suggested that money raised by the council traffic wardens, which must be spent on roads, should go towards funding the patrols.

Dr Nick Gibbins, chairman of the governors at Swaythling Primary School said: “Obviously this is something we are very disappointed by. We understand that the council is facing significant financial constraints again.

"We’re investigating ways in which we could provide a crossing patrol but it may be difficult.”