Dudley school lollipop patrol staff down by a third

Figures released under Freedom of Information laws shows there are 77 people employed in the roles in Dudley this year – down from 111 in 2012.

They also show that the number of school crossings that are patrolled in the borough has plummeted from 125 in 2012 to 80 this year.

Despite this, spending on staff wages has barely changed. In 2012, 280,581 was spent on wages and overtime compared to £244,123 in 2016.

The downward trend in Dudley is mirrored by authorities across the Midlands.

The figures were unearthed by the Liberal Democrats as part of its campaign to maintain safety on roads outside schools.

Lib Dem Black Country campaigner Paul Butters said: "Four children are seriously hurt or killed while walking in the UK every day. I'm worried we are seeing the death of the lollipop lady.

"School crossing are a vital service, highly valued by communities, ensuring children can cross roads near their schools safely.

"While councils have faced significant financial challenges in recent years, the safety of children should not be put at risk."

Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environmental services at Dudley Council, said: “We actively work to recruit school crossing patrols however it does prove difficult to fill all the vacancies.

"High numbers of vacancies does also increase the costs of the service because of the need to bring in mobile patrols to cover key sites, but we will continue to do everything we can to fill any outstanding gaps.”

Last year the council faced protests over proposals to cut nearly £400,000 from the service but the plans were later ditched.