SCHOOLS have been asked if they are able to fund the cost of road crossing safety patrols as Thurrock Council continues to investigate where it can make savings.

The cash-strapped billion-pound debt laden Conservative-run authority has been told by government it has to cut its non-statutory services to save money. 'Lollipop' men and ladies are a discretionary council service

In March when the budget for the current financial year was set, a whole range of potential cuts to services were outlined but not implemented in the run-up to May's local elections.

Very little detail about the potential cuts was given, though a raft of 10 appendices of small print put before councillors did list all the potential savings.

One of the most controversial has been the axing of the borough's brown bin garden waste collection service. The council is also cutting allowances for travel for special needs children to get to school, which means some will have to leave specialist education. Last week Thurrock Nub News reported on one such case and the launch of a petition for change.

But there are many other cuts that are now starting to be revealed in full.

Among them is the cutting of school 'lollipop' men and women. The annual cost to the council for the part time services of those men and woman tasked with protecting the lives of local children is £45,000.

Set against the hundreds of millions of pounds lost in catastrophic financial deals that remain unaccounted for, or against the salaries of hundreds of thousands of pounds for the high-ranking interim officers and commissioners drafted in by the government that seems a minimal amount.

The whole school crossing patrol service cost equates to less than 35 days' pay for the council's new government-imposed CEO, Dr Dave Smith, for example.

But schools have been asked to pay for their own safety patrols and the lollipop men and women have been told their roles are at risk.

Though schools are on half term it appears the messages have now been sent out. Several schools appeared to have shared the news with parents and Thurrock Nub News was contacted today (Tuesday, 30 May) by one patrol veteran who told us his view.

Asking not to be named, he said: "I have been informed today that the school crossing patrol officers of Thurrock may be losing their jobs.

"The council will no longer pay for the job and have sent letters to all the schools in Thurrock asking them to fund the patrols.

"It is unlikely that the schools will do this due to their own funding problems. The people that have made this decision have been told this and they don't care. They want to save money and are starting at the bottom with the lowest paid employees.

"This will be bad for the children. The roads are a nightmare at school times. I know this as I am a School Crossing Patrol person who sees it first hand." 

The proposal to 'review school crossing patrols and explore provision through the voluntary sector' appears in appendix four.

There is no more detail than that title but the devil now appears to be the detail sent to schools. The council says no cuts have been made yet, but does not deny the axe could be swung.

A statement to Thurrock Nub News this afternoon says: "No decision on the future of school crossing patrols has been made, any decision will be made through the council's democratic governance processes.

"Thurrock Council has written to schools to let them know that the council is looking at the funding model for school crossing patrols, which are a discretionary council service, and ask them if they are able to fund the service, which will allow the patrol at their school to continue.

"The council is also speaking with its employees about the future of the service.

"The funding of school crossing patrols was identified for review in the budget report which went before full council in March, 2023."