Croydon Lib Dems launch petition to save local lollipop man

Cllr Claire Bonham has launched a petition calling for Croydon Council to continue to fund a local lollipop man in Upper Norwood.

There are now only six primary schools that have a lollipop lady or man in Croydon, including Cypress Infants and Juniors in Upper Norwood, where children are helped to cross the busy Sylvan Hill/Auckland Road crossing.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Claire Bonham, Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood asked the council about the future of the service in April after residents raised concerns, and was told that no decisions had yet been made.

However, an FOI from local news website Inside Croydon has recently revealed that the Council was considering cutting all six school road safety patrol posts with at least four roles facing the axe, leading Cllr Bonham to launch the petition. 

Cllr Bonham said: "Parents at Cypress primary have shared their concerns with me about the proposed cuts to their lollipop man and they are rightly concerned that this will have an impact on their children’s safety.

“Lollipop men and women are a valued part of the community, keeping children safe and providing a safe, reassuring presence for families on their way to school.

“This feels like penny-pinching from the Tory Mayor and I have written to him to set out my opposition to cutting these services from Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood, and other locations around the borough.”