IN response to the reader’s comment regarding the councillors allowances in light of the cuts to the school crossing service.

He makes the point that school crossing patrols are no longer needed. It would be interesting to know where the writer lives.

Concrete stop points do not stop motorists. I suggest he goes and stands outside Blackbrook St Mary’s Primary School and Ashurst Primary School in Chain Lane at 8.45am and 2.45pm.

He states that parents now drive their children to school.

This is true but there lies the problem. They can’t get close enough to the school gate, they park on the yellow zigzag lines and, of course, you never see a traffic warden.

They park in the entrance to the school, on the pavements and on the corners.

They drive fully on the pavement with total disregard for anyone other than themselves as along as they can get as near as possible to the school.

This combined with the through traffic, means the school crossing patrol provides a vital service.

The author of the comment justifies councillors allowances by saying: “A few grand here and there would make little or no difference.”

The school crossing patrol works 7.5 hours a week and they are paid £8.09 per hour, which gives them the vast weekly wage of £60.67 and gives them an annual salary – if they work 52 weeks a year – of £3,154, so “a few pounds here and there will make little or no difference”.

By contrast our Labour councillors appear to be willing to make cuts at the bottom of the heap but unwilling to look at themselves.

At a conservative estimate, the councillors cost the council taxpayers of St Helens £454,920 per annum (hardly a few grand here and there).

This does not take into account additional payments made if they sit on various committees and run up expenses.

The council leader has an allowance of £33,699.

No one is forced to become a councillor and, looking at the state of the town, one might wonder what they do.

Why do we need 48 councillors?

By reducing each ward by one councillor it will save a minimum of £124, 464 per year.

School crossing patrols paid for.

What about one councillor per ward?

T McLaughlin, St Helens