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ET lollipop campaign brings city council budget u-turn
Images from campaigns across Peterborough against the proposed lollipop patrol cuts. Photos: Peterborough ET
PUPILS’ safe access to schools was secured on Thursday night (26 January) after Peterborough City Council agreed to drop budget cuts to remove lollipop men and women following at ET campaign.
The ET launched a city-wide campaign against the proposed cuts, which would save £43,000 per year out of a budget of £370 million saved by the removal of all 11 school crossing guards employed by the authority.
However, after mounting pressure from our campaign which has been backed by councillors, schools and parents, a motion to remove the application was unanimously agreed at the monthly group meeting of Conservative councillors at the Town Hall.
Cllr David Seaton, who is also cabinet member for resources, said: “I am clearly sorry if the proposal has caused any upset to parents, the guards or anyone in the city.
“I believe we have done the right thing to remove it at the earliest opportunity.
“I was obviously aware of The ET campaign, and had read letters about people’s thoughts, but I wanted a chance to talk to people face-to-face before making a decision.
“I was able to do that this week, when I went to three neighbourhood committee meetings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I have heard first hand the strength of feeling, and I came back to the Conservative group to discuss that. My colleagues all agreed unanimously that we should drop the proposal.”
The private meeting, which took place at 7pm last night, came just hours after long-serving councillor Charles Swift called for a rebellion against the budget proposals.
Cllr Swift, who was first elected to represent the city in 1954, said: “Can we put a stop to this charade about school crossings and the withdrawal of the service?
“It requires 29 of us out of the 57 councillors to email the leader (Cllr Marco Cereste) to say that we will not support this item at the Full Council meeting and it will kill it stone dead.”
The draft budget also outlines plans to axe 70 council jobs, cut £130,000 of funding for speed cameras and scale back the free Christmas park and ride scheme.
The cuts will also happen alongside a planned rise in council tax of 2.95 per cent for the next five years.
Investments include £73 million for new-build schools, £16 million for affordable housing over five years and £30,000 to help communities support the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this June.
The decision to remove plans to cut the crossing guards is the only change that has been made to the initial budget proposal so far, and has hence left it with a £43,000 overspend.
Cllr Seaton said that he hoped to have ideas of how to save that money by the next council Cabinet meeting on February 10.
Any further feedback on the draft budget can be sent via email to budget2012@peterborough.gov.uk
The ET campaign
HERE is the timeline of how The ET campaigned to stop city council budget cutbacks scrapping lollipop men and women.
JANUARY 12: The council draft budget proposes to save £43,000 by axing all 11 crossing guards, story in Friday 13th paper.
JANUARY 14: The ET launches its campaign to save the jobs including a petition on our website which was signed by 160 people.
The campaign is publicly supported by Conservative MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson.
JANUARY 16: Hundreds of angry parents sign petition against proposals outside Newark Hill Primary School.
JANUARY 17: The ET speaks to Ann Sanderson - daughter of the city’s first lollipop lady.
JANUARY 19: Cabinet councillors meet to discuss the plans.
JANUARY 22: Tory councillors John Peach, Michael Fletcher and David Sanders voice opposition.
JANUARY 25: With hundreds of signatures on The ET’s and other petitions, the Tories confirm their policy u-turn.
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Comments
There are 21 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
NicLab1
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 11:00 AMAs I have said before - Tory Councillors first, women and children last. It is a disgrace that the dominant Tory Councillor pushed the budget through and then used lollipop ladies, women and children as a shield to keep them in power. If Stewart Jackson (7 years) and John Peach (23 years) did not know the issues as they pushed the budget through- then what exactly do they know? Shame on them- even their own councillors are resigning in the face of their bad policies, lack of judgement and vision. The people of Peterborough deserve far better.
Fish
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 01:37 PMThis was all a cynical political game as it was always likely to be over turned. What on earth are they playing at. It would appear that most of the patrols were north of the river so was this some game being played by our rulers in the Ortons. Let's follow Scotland and demand our rights of independence from this foreign rule.
The Admiral
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 10:45 AMI said it here last year,....... Merge the crossing staff with the traffic wardens, that will reduce the managment and make huge savings, after all the pittance these people get is almost of volunteer basis. Perhaps they would have some authority over drivers who break the road traffic law when dropping their kids offpick up. Mothers on the school run are lethal.
jon247
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 01:51 AMAt last some common sense.well done the E.T. for bringing this attention to an important matter...
Gorgeous George
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 11:58 PMComment removed by moderator
Zanni
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 09:01 PMCllr Seaton said that he hoped to have ideas of how to save that money by the next council Cabinet meeting on February 10 - Cut the pay of the 21 senior staff in the council by 3 percent and job done.
Gorgeous George
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 09:01 PMIf the local paper is no good that means that anyone with information or suspicions would have to send or take it to the BBC. Post it through the letterbox. They would love that.
Sofedup
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 06:41 PMInterestingly I note that comments responding to Stewart Jackson's letter about the benefits cap have been removed and no longer allowed. I wonder if the freedom of the press (or the people) is being curtailed in anyway? We should be able to respond or at least responses remain. What's up ET? who is running you?
Sofedup
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 06:19 PM@9 exactly and I pointed out a similar scenario a week ago though my question was about the hidden money such as the bribes for TK Max etc and where that money was )or was not)shown in the budget . The £43K was purposely placed and was always going to be overturned. The people have been played and they played their parts very well. We really need to get the people of Peterborough's political nouse a little better
J J Carter
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 06:11 PMAnyone thinking of the wee children gets my vote! I wuv you, PCC!
gogetit
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:15 PMno comment
HollygoLula
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 04:24 PM@9 Kevin, one of the best comments i have ever read on here and absolutely bang on.
Kevin
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 03:42 PMWhen you look at the budget document released by the council and start to think about its contents £43k is relatively a small amount. It applies to what anyone with any political understanding would know would be a guaranteed 'flash point'. The ideal opportunity for the local press to raise its standard and prove that it's not the council's poodle; an opportunity for the council to bow to public opinion and show how they are working for that public. An ideal situation then, the public, who in general are happy to be fed a diet of emotive sound bits without the bother of getting to grips with the real facts; the officers who can ensure that their position it's salary and benefits remain intact; politicians who can thrust out their chests of importance; a media that can boast of the good work it's doing for the community it serves and the fund, more than twice the size of the £43k remains in tact so that those officers, councillors and media movers and shakers can swan around at hospitality provided at our expense for an oversized cigarette lighter to spend a night in the town. This paper should stop worrying about £43k spent on this - the residents will do something about that - and start to ask just what the £93K down as Olympic torch will be spent on, line by line, attendance by attendance or the £1100k to be spent next year on Broadband Infrastructure and the £2000k in 201314 line by line coverage by coverage, user by user. What campaign will the ET be running against these?
TheKorat
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 01:56 PMSpineless Council, this has only postponed events..
Bamboozler
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 01:45 PMSo Ladies and Gents!, would it make a difference to the schools budget to drop that from £73m to £72,957,000????????
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