Lollipop lady Jackie fears for children if job is axed
COUNTY NEEDS TO MAKE CUTS
A LOLLIPOP lady has told of her devastation that she could be forced to leave her job at a Burton school if funding is cut.
She is also fearful that a child is injured or killed on a busy road she patrols if there is no school crossing patrol.
Jackie Bradwell has been ensuring pupils at Christ Church Primary School, in Dale Street, have been crossing the road safely for nine years but could be out of a job by the summer if bosses at Staffordshire County Council decide to cut funding for school crossing patrols across the county as it deals with budget issues.
The authority is proposing to no longer fund crossing patrols like Jackie’s from September 2019 as it needs to close a £35 million budget shortfall next year.
Parents at Christ Church have now launched a Facebook group hoping to encourage firms to step forward and spon- sor Mrs Bradwell to pay for her wages.
Mrs Bradwell, 59, helps at least 150 children over the road at the busy crossroads at Dale Street, Paget Street and Alfred Street every day but she fears if she has to stop there could be a fatal accident.
She said: “It can be a really busy road. You are also getting big trucks going past in all directions.
“The evening time is really busy. Some children aren’t aware of the roads, so it can be dangerous.
“I wasn’t very happy when I was told of the council’s proposals. I think about children’s safety. It is my job to. I have more than 150 children to cross every day and I will be giving out more than 150 Christmas cards to them this year.
“It is nice to have a chat with them. I have seen them growing up from tiny babies and I will miss them all.”
A Facebook group to find a sponsor has now been set up by mum Lynda Johnson, whose children used to attend the school.
The 32-year-old said: “It is quite a bad junction. It is a four-way junction and cars come in every direction. If the children are crossing it is dangerous because cars do not stop half the time.
She fears that there could be a serious accident if the lollipop lady is not there. She said: “There are hundreds of children who use the crossing every day. We are trying to get local businesses to sponsor her to pay her wage and keep her in the job.
“Jackie has got fears of the children getting hurt. She enjoys doing her job and the children love her and are always chatting to her. She plays an important role.”
Christ Church Primary School said it is now discussing what to do if it loses its lollipop lady. Headteacher Vicky Anderson said: I have been discussing the really sad news with our governors. It would be a loss to us and has really saddened me. “We have to look at what we can do to improve the situation because the safety of our children is important.
“I have also been discussing with other head teachers to see what we can do and what they have done. We haven’t got a plan yet.”
Helen Fisher, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We have seen the cost of care soar by more than £100 million in the last 10 years and we must now tackle a £35 million shortfall in our budget.
“This means we have no choice but to consider which non-statutory services we can continue to fund and very reluctantly this includes the school crossing patrol service.”
“The patrols are all wonderful and I do hope communities will step forward to keep as many of them as possible in the county.”