Case Study: Taking a bite out of lollipop service leaves a bitter taste

Barnsley Council says it wants to save £50,000 a year by removing lollipop ladies from Hoyland Road and Sheffield Road at Hoyland Common, and ending school crossing patrols on Doncaster Road.

Parents whose children attend local primary schools have reacted in fury, saying they will not feel safe if the patrols are taken away. The Hoyland sites already have a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights but parents say this is not sufficient to protect their youngsters when crossing busy roads.

Scores of people joined the protest marches through the village last month after the council first made the announcement as part of its proposed 2011/12 budget.

A petition with more than 700 names has since been handed to the council, whose members are due to make a final decision later today at their annual budget-setting meeting.

The council’s deputy leader Jim Andrews was due to meet with campaigners last week, raising hopes of a last-minute reprieve.

Barnsley Council is one of several across the country to face criticism for cutting numbers of lollipop ladies and crossing patrols. Similar protests have taken place recently in Dorset, Felixstowe, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and Lambeth.