NEW hope has been given to campaigners to save Dorset’s lollipop ladies after councillors voted to continue funding 50 school crossing patrols.

Members of Dorset County Council’s environment overview committee voted in favour of continuing to provide authorised school crossing patrol sites at schools that meet national criteria.

But committee members also ruled that funding should be withdrawn from five sites which do not meet the criteria from April 1 2012 to save an estimated £17,500.

This could mean the loss of local authority-funded crossing patrols for Wool First School, Swanage First School, Shaftesbury Primary, Highcliffe St Mark Primary School and Weymouth’s Conifers Primary School, from the next financial year.

At yesterday’s meeting, committee members also unanimously rejected a proposal to cut funding from school crossing patrol sites that operate at either signal controlled pedestrian crossings or zebra crossings, which would have saved £35,000.

They agreed to support the development of sponsorship arrangements where possible with local communities to enable school crossing patrols to continue in areas where national criteria are not met.

A unanimous vote gave the go-ahead for school crossing patrol staff from ‘non-criteria sites’ to be offered redeployment to ‘vacant criteria sites.’ The committee’s decisions will now be recommended to the council’s Cabinet on October 5.

Councillor Alex Brent, representing Bere Regis and Wool, addressed the committee and said: “This is a matter that affect’s people’s lives.”

She said although Wool did not meet the criteria, the ‘street enhancement scheme’ in the High Street had resulted in drivers speeding up past the school to make up lost time.

Committee chairman Councillor Robin Cook praised the Policy Development Panel, which was set up to consider alternative options for continuing the school crossing patrol service beyond March 31 next year to save £200,000.

He said: “This has been a most difficult one to address, we’ve all seen the outcry of the public.”

Cllr Cook said objectively “school crossing patrols had never been a statutory duty” and it was “parents’ responsibility to ensure their children got to school gates safely” but added that “protecting children’s lives was of paramount importance.”

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Cook added: “We voted to retain funding of the service as a whole.

“The committee’s report clearly identified non-criteria sites and we recommended funding for those should be withdrawn in the next financial year.”