Express & Star

Dudley lollipop patrols are still under scrutiny

The future of lollipop patrols still remains uncertain following a council meeting.

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There are 77 lollipop men and women employed in Dudley

It follows an independent report which took three months to complete and looked at the walking and cycling routes to 47 schools across Dudley, including the contribution of crossing patrols.

Led by independent consultant Public Knowledge, the report said Dudley council should prioritise implementing 20mph zones outside all schools and revealed 70 per cent of patrol sites are not hitting national criteria.

However, after meeting to discuss the report, Dudley council’s scrutiny committee failed to draw any conclusions and will be looking at it again in the New Year.

Scrutiny committee chairman Matt Rogers said: “We have designated a separate working group meeting in early January to give it the time it deserves. It was good to hear views from crossing staff and we realise the need for them in many areas.

“We will be looking at the report in more detail in January. It is a very thorough report that covers a lot of issues.”

But Castle and Priory ward councillor Alan Finch was the scrutiny chairman on the issue last year and he said he does not believe the report was efficient enough, adding: “In my opinion it could have been done better and should have been singled out to debate.

“They say national criteria but what do they mean by criteria? Tell us in January along with what areas have been let down so people can put arguments forward.”

“We’ve got a lot of major roads near schools and I think it needs a good audit of all our roads that children have to cross across the borough. There are some grey areas that our officers have missed.

“We’ve got children’s lives at risk from four years of age until 17 but when we questioned them, the officers were very vague and that is why we have to come back and have only one item on the agenda in January.

“The agenda was too loaded - when it’s our children’s health and safety at risk, we need that one item on there and we can then debate it.”

“It’s alright saying to have these 20mph zones but they don’t have the money, how are they going to actually police it?

“I’m passionate about this. I was sitting outside my granddaughter’s school Foxyards Primary School right next to the Birmingham New Road and they were speeding down there like anything but there was no one there to police it.

“There is no way children can ride a bike or walk across. Where’s funding for lights? I know there’s some that aren’t working.”

Their next meeting will be held on January 16 where recommendations will be put to the cabinet who will then be able to make a decision.

A Freedom of Information request revealed earlier this year there are 77 lollipop men and women employed in Dudley.