PARENTS have backed a petition by a Swindon primary school to have the funding for their crossing guard reinstated.

When the long-time lollipop man at Toothill’s Hazelwood Academy retired at the end of the February term, the school assumed he would be replaced by Swindon Borough Council.

But they were told that would not happen.

As part of continued budget cuts, the team responsible for providing crossing guards said that due to a staffing freeze and the need to carry out a review of how resources are allocated, no replacement would be provided.

There is now real concern that a child could be seriously injured attempting to cross Stokesay Drive without the protection that a clearly visible lollipop man or woman would provide.

Kate Ayliffe, Business Manager at Hazelwood Academy, said: “The borough’s decision is very troubling for us, to leave us exposed in that way.

“Stokesay Drive is quite a quick road - people don’t necessarily adhere to the speed limit and it acts as a bit of a cut-through between West Swindon and the Mannington roundabout.

“We’re also directly opposite the loading bays for the one stop shop and we get some fairly big lorries coming in there.

“Many of our parents have said they’ve seen children running into the road - they just expect Mick to be there.

“He was there to support them. He would also have a word with people parking carelessly on the zig zags outside.

“With a warden there they were less inclined to do that.

“Our parents were firmly in support of us trying to get something done.

“I spent a couple of mornings at the entrance of the school collecting signatures and all the parents were incredibly supportive and keen to sign.

“One of the dads even said he had volunteered to be the crossing warden but the council said he couldn’t do it because of the training issues.

“They are keen that some action is taken.”

More than 400 signatures have now been collected and last week the school’s headteacher was joined by a governor and the ward councillor, Steph Exell, to present the petition to the Mayor.

Coun Exell said: “Hazelwood Academy requested assistance from the Mannington & Western ward councillors to have their school crossing patrol officer reinstated.

“I became the petition organiser on behalf of the school and between the school, local councillors, the Toothill Community Centre and the support of local community groups we have collected well over 400 signatures in a week.

“The community has shown overwhelming support for the petition. Local residents are adamant that council cuts to road safety staff are a step too far.

“They want to see their lollipop person back on duty straightaway to help pupils travel to and from the school safely.”

The issue will now be debated in front of the full council when it meets on April 6.

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: "The council’s cabinet agreed to reduce the cost of the school crossing patrol service as part of the budget for the forthcoming financial year.

"In order to achieve the necessary savings, posts that become vacant will not be filled unless they meet certain criteria. This includes an assessment of the numbers of cars, pedestrians, vehicle speeds and the physical layout of the site.

"We are currently carrying out one of these assessments for the Toothill site.

“If the assessment concludes that the crossing patrol officer is not essential we would then liaise with stakeholders in the area, including the school, to see if they wish to fund some alternative provision themselves.

“Although a number of schools have school crossing patrols, there is no statutory duty for local authorities to provide them. Many of the schools that have traditionally had school crossing patrols have subsequently benefitted from a variety of road safety measures.

“At Hazelwood Academy, for example, the crossing point on Stokesay Drive has been upgraded in recent years and now features zig-zag markings to prevent parking, dropped kerbs and a new access path from Toothill Village Centre which directs children to the safest crossing location.”