Anger at patroller’s being cut
But Willie Kiddie has been told he is no longer needed than annoyed - about the safety of everyone’s children. Drivers do not bother with the speed limit or traffic lights. He is visible and is the extra barrier to keep the children safe.”
Traffic should do 20mph past the school. However, traffic exceeds that speed according to Willie.
Oppostion leader, Councillor Dave Doogan said: “This whole process is unacceptable and I urge the council’s leaders to look again at this cut to our local services and fund a safer more appropriate solution.”
Councillor Alisdair Bailey of the independent and Labour group also slammed the decision, saying: “We now find ourselves in a ridiculous position where crossing patroller provision is not decided based on evidence about children’s safety but based on whether or not any suitable applicant applied for the post in the prior year.”
Conservative Councillor, Caroline Shiers, convener of lifelong learning for Perth and Kinross Council, said the council saw pupil safety as a priority and that Tayside Contracts had found it “increasingly difficult” to recruit crossing patrollers.
She added: “The review of school crossing patrollers was actually undertaken to achieve a saving of £463,000 on facilities management as a whole. This budget saving was agreed in February 2017 under the previous SNP administration and before I was convener of lifelong learning.
“Following much discussion, it became clear that funding is unavailable to reverse that savings decision. Having school crossing patrollers where there are already pedestrian crossings in place is not a cost we can continue to justify in the current financial climate.”