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Sandwell road safety team to fall foul of cost cuts

The axe is looming for a team of 20 staff responsible for teaching schoolchildren across Sandwell about road safety after council bosses agreed to recommend cost-cutting plans.

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A final decision on the future of the team, which visits schools around the borough to teach youngsters how to cross the road safely, will be made by the council's cabinet by August.

Sandwell Council wants to get rid of the workers and replace them with computer programmes as part of wider plans to save £2 million.]

As well as holding lessons in the classroom, the team takes children out of the school to demonstrate how to cross the road.

The council said the new computer system was considered to be a more effective way of teaching youngsters and was used by other councils around the country.

Transport boss Councillor Maria Crompton said the authority wanted to move forward with the 'interactive' computer system following a public consultation with schools, parents and unions.

Councillor Crompton, who is cabinet member for highways and environment, said: "A report will be discussed by cabinet in June or July recommending the modernisation of the child pedestrian training service.

"This follows extensive development of an interactive electronic service including workshops, pilot trials and consultation with teachers, parents, children, unions, and trainers.

"The new interactive service would be recommended to commence in the new academic year – September 2015 – subject to cabinet approval."

The proposals to axe the team of part-time workers – 19 women and one man – have come under fire from concerned union bosses, who called on the council to reconsider the move.

Mohammed Khalik, GMB Regional organiser, said: "The service provides local primary schools with staff to teach children road safety by taking them into the local community to demonstrate safe and unsafe practice.

"The service is delivered by predominately women workers on low earnings due their low hours of work."

The cutbacks come as the council continues to achieve savings of £38m by 2018.

A 'Facing the Future' programme was launched last year to find £22m of savings.

But in March it was revealed that an extra £16m of cuts will need to be made by the council within the next three years. The programme will now be extended to achieve the full cuts of £38m by 2018.

Officials had already been forced to make around £41m of savings between 2015 and 2017 after grants to the council from central Government were reduced.

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