Parents' campaign secures reprieve for lollipop patrol

Jamie MacDonald Jamie MacDonald - 1598 • Last updated 10 Dec 2008 13:19 0 Comments

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THE decision to axe the lollipop crossing at Craigbank Primary will be reconsidered following a public meeting at the Sauchie school.

A campaign by parents and the community has persuaded the council"s administration into a u-turn on the decision to axe the crossing patrol at Greygoran and Newtonshaw with immediate effect.

At the meeting, council leader Janet Cadenhead promised the crossing would remain until the next financial year when traffic calming measures will be introduced - and they will then look again at the crossing, after taking the views of parents into account.

The decision to reconsider comes after parents at Craigbank reacted furiously to Clackmannanshire Council voting to save £20,000 from its budget by cutting 13 crossing patrols in the county.

Seven of these crossings -including the one at Craigbank - were scheduled to go immediately.

Ms Cadenhead said, 'It was obvious that people at the meeting thought their children would be at risk and that is something I have to take on board.

'The crossing patrol will stay there until the next financial year and we will see what the opinion is once the new measures have been introduced.'

Around 70 parents, grandparents and carers attended last Tuesday night"s meeting in the school to hear the views of Ochil MSP Keith Brown, councillors Cadenhead, Sam Ovens and Gary Womersley, and the council"s head of schools Jim Goodall.

Michael Payne, chair of Craigbank"s Parent Council, said they could not have hoped for any more from the meeting.

He added, 'Keeping the post until the next financial year when they look at it again is key.

'The biggest concerns were that there had not been a proper consultation but it looks like there will be now.'

Mr Payne continued, 'It is right not to waste money on crossings not being used. If they made a mistake and are going to look at it again - that is all we can ask for.'

At the meeting, Ms Cadenhead, Mr Ovens and Mr Goodall were asked what had changed to make the crossing no longer required, why savings were not being looked at elsewhere, how this decision fitted in with the council"s Safe Routes to School policy and why crossings with less children and traffic were being kept.

Ms Cadenhead said the council never had a policy on school crossings previously, with most crossings being kept following their handover from police control and that the council was always looking for ways to cut costs.

She added, 'We adopted a policy for crossings based on the PV formula - a calculation taking into account the traffic volume and pupil numbers.'

Answering the query over why schools with lower crossing PV scores were kept, Mr Goodall stated, 'We felt there were a number of crossings where they were much more involved. There was an additional factor where they interacted with the cars and moved them on.'

This reason was described as 'nonsense' by a former police officer in the audience who said that crossing officers did not have the powers to tell cars to move.

Councillor Womersley was delighted with the outcome and attendance at the meeting.

He said, 'I was particularly pleased with various aspects of the meeting. It was acknowledged at long last that Labour had gone back on their previous commitment to consult.

'It was super that so many people from the local community came along and expressed their views as they did on this very emotive subject for parents - their attendance was very much a credit to all concerned.

'The Parent Council, the greater community, indeed the pupils themselves, as well the Alloa Advertiser, should all be congratulated for all of the hard efforts.'

At the meeting Mr Womersley stated that in future council budgets the SNP group would budget for a crossing at Greygoran and Newtonshaw.

Keith Brown MSP was also delighted with the outcome of the meeting.

He said, 'This is a great example of people power - parents and pupils at Craigbank Primary, as well as the community of Sauchie all made their voices heard.

'I would particularly like to congratulate Craigbank Parent Council whose quick reaction when the cuts were announced has been paramount to the success of the campaign.'

This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 11 Dec 08

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