CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to fight on after councillors voted to continue a consultation process that will decide whether to keep school crossing guards in Dorset.

They were told that that a policy development panel (PDP) will be set up to investigate ways in which the county council-funded service can be saved.

Dorset County Council will continue talks with schools and local authorities on proposals to save £200,000 a year by withdrawing the salaries of lollipop patrols.

Parents and trade unionists protested on the steps of County Hall in Dorchester before the full council meeting.

Councillors at the meeting were asked to respond to a petition of 10,000 signatures against plans to cut funding for the service.

Peter Finney, the cabinet member for transport, said the council is not obliged to provide the service. He said: “I would remind members that we are facing a major financial crisis.”

Coun Karl Wallace said after the meeting: “The fight goes on. There is a glimmer of hope.”

Bridport Primary School stands to lose two school crossing patrol officers, while Beaminster St Mary’s has already lost its officer.

Bridport mum Elizabeth Russ, from Gundry Road called for a rethink on the cuts.

She said: “I have two little girls who go to Bridport Primary School and I have recently been encouraging them to be independent.

“They have not long been walking home from school and they simply won’t be able to walk home without the lollipop people because that is such a busy dangerous road there.

“There is all this government emphasis on healthy lifestyles and walking to school and I simply won’t be able to do it I shall have to fetch them.

“They are 11 and nine and ready for independence but that road is quite scary and it was a blessing when we got the crossing lady. It makes all the difference.”

BUS FARES

PASSENGERS have new hope in the battle to retain free travel before 9.30am for pensioners.

Coun Ronald Coatsworth said last Tuesday’s county council cabinet meeting was looking at concessionary bus fares.

He said that it looked like a solution had been found to add pre-rush hour travel to the scheme.

The county council suggested that if the district council wanted to intervene and get pre-9.30am travel included they could do so and pay the £18,000 it would cost.

The county council is taking over responsibility for the administration of the scheme in April.

West Dorset District Council leader Robert Gould said no final decisions had been taken about funding before 9.30am.

£31M SAVINGS

DORSET County Council has agreed to make £31million worth of savings despite a last-ditch attempt to save services.

The council approved the budget for the financial year which will see huge cuts to public services.

The savings are a ‘front-loaded’ approach to cuts which will see a total of £55million saved in response to the government’s austerity measures to address the national deficit.

It is expected 500 jobs will be lost at the county council.

CONNEXIONS

A SERVICE which helped 30,103 Dorset teenagers last year to get vital careers advice is being cut by almost a third.

Connexions, which provides careers advice for 13 to 19-year-olds, is being cut across the county by 27 per cent and 44 of the 76 staff have been made redundant.

Martyn Jewell, the chief executive of Ansbury, a non-profit organisation which delivers Connexions across Dorset, said he was ‘very disappointed’ after 15 years of providing the service.

LIBRARIES

COUNCILLORS have decided to look at ways of saving £800,000 to spare libraries from the axe.

They voted for a resolution to consider ideas proposed by campaign group Ad Lib that could keep all 20 libraries open.

They suggest cutting opening hours by 10 per cent, reducing headquarters staff and halving the money spent on books.

But councillors at the full council meeting also voted to proceed with a three-month consultation on a proposal to hand over the libraries to community groups.

Funding would then be withdrawn in 2012 if enough volunteers are not available.