FUNDING has been secured for 30 crossing patrols within the borough after St Helens Council pulled support for the service.

St Helens Council’s cabinet agreed to stop funding the service in October as part of its bid to save a further £20.6 million by 2020 because of cuts in central government funding.

Schools across the borough have had to decide whether to find funding from other streams to keep the service going for the new school term.

The vast majority of schools still have crossing patrols this year, with many schools funding the service themselves.

In Rainhill, councillors have paid for the crossing patrol out of the councillor improvement fund (CIF).

Elsewhere in Rainford, ward members and Rainford Parish Council will fund its crossing patrol operative.

A job advert listed on the council’s website is seeking to recruit temporary school crossing patrol operatives for the Nutgrove and Thatto Health areas.

Another is listed seeking temporary school crossing patrol operatives for various areas across the borough.

A council spokesman said: “Unlike many other areas across the country facing unprecedented financial challenges, funding has been identified in St Helens for 30 crossing patrols at the start of this term.

“This has been achieved through a traded service funded by the councillor improvement fund (CIF), parish councils and private sponsorships.

“There is a long-standing recruitment problem across the country for these patrols, with one recruitment website currently reporting over a thousand vacancies for school crossing patrols.

“This is the reason we’re still actively trying to fill six temporary posts. So, we would encourage community-minded residents to apply.”

Andrew Howard, secretary of National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) for St Helens, said some schools are “up in arms” over the situation.

“It’s a big issue,” the Legh Vale Primary School head teacher said.

“Some of our schools are up in arms about it.

“At the end of the day you are potentially talking about a life of a child.

“It’s difficult. I understand the council have got to make cuts.

“I understand they haven’t got the same amount of money in the pot they once had.

“It’s where you make those cuts that is the critical thing.”

In Billinge and Seneley Green, Billinge Chapel End Parish Council has agreed to fund two crossing patrols for one year.

Parish councillor Bill Bradbury, who is also the chairman of governors at Billinge Chapel End Primary School, said: “We have the one on Chapel End, that’s a very bad corner.

“To take that one off would be an absolute disaster. So, we’ve funded that.”

Cllr Bradbury said the parish council is also funding the crossing patrol on Main Street and is pushing to have a pelican crossing installed.

“That is the main road right through St Helens to Wigan,” Cllr Bradbury said.

“The traffic on there is horrendous.

“If it was decided to take that crossing patrol off, that would be unbelievable.

“Everybody uses that one at the top, it’s a very busy one. We, the parish council have said we are prepared to fund it for a year.

“But we are insisting that there is a pelican crossing installed.”

He added that fellow parish councillor, Cllr Dennis McDonnell, who is also the ward member for Billinge and Seneley Green for St Helens Council, is pressing the issue with the authority.

Earlier this year the council pledged £1.5 million in other “crossing measures” in areas currently not in operation.

A council spokesman said: “The council remains committed to working with schools, parents and carers to promote road safety – and has begun to develop a wide-ranging strategy to make crossing the road near schools safer.

“This will include investment for round the clock road safety, enforcing new waiting time limits and considering traffic flows and road layouts.”