Cross about crossings

All crossing patrols to go

Bromley Council have said they are going to cut school crossing patrols.

All of them.

Every single one.

There are two major lollipop controlled road crossings in Shortlands: Hayes Lane for Highfields School, and Westmoreland Road for St Marks School. These are very busy, very dangerous roads. The proposal to remove these school crossings, saving £233,000 is breathtaking. I don’t understand how the council isn’t worried about putting children’s lives at risk in this way.

If you feel strongly about this, please complete the online petition by clicking here.

Gareth said:

Everyone [apart from the Tories, it seems] agrees that we must give every child in Bromley the best possible start. Cutting children’s services is short-sighted, do we really have to wait for an accident to happen before something is done about this?

Bromley council has also decided to cut the previous government’s Sure Start programme. The original plan was to cut the current 18 Children and Family Centres in Bromley to just three. But following a consultation they are now planning to cut 12 centres, that leaves just six centers for London’s largest borough. The map shows where the remaining centers will be located. Each one will reach an average population of 2500–3500 children aged 0–5, which almost trebles the recommended maximum of 1200 children. The Department for Education produced this leaflet as a guide: The Sure Start Children’s Centres Statutory Guidance produced in 2010, says: “the more affluent areas, or where the demand for services is found to be less, numbers may be larger, up to around 1200 children.”

Distibution of Bromley Children and Family Centres in 2012/13

Families in Shortlands will lose out – there will be no dedicated children’s centre in our area.

And as our children get older they will also find youth clubs being closed by Bromley council.