THE debate around whether to sack several school crossing patrollers from sites across the borough is set to take another twist on Monday evening. 

Councillors will meet to decide whether to continue with plans to remove the lollipop service from seven sites after five Liberal Democrats councillors challenged the legality of the council’s decision. 

The school crossing patrollers (SCPs) would be replaced by permanent crossings but members submitted a formal notice calling in the decision, claiming the decision went against the council’s rules. 

Speaking to the News, councillor Imogen Shepherd-DuBey said:"There is a significant amount of evidence that something is wrong here.

"It makes me wonder what they are trying to cover up."

Councillors challenged the decision because of issues with the consultation method, financial uncertainties and the potential safety impact on the borough's children.

The notice submitted claims that the consultation wasn’t complete before the decision was made to withdraw the SCPs, that Wokingham Town Council’s response has not been taken into consideration and that “letters putting the staff at risk of redundancy were issued before the consultation was concluded.”

It is also suggested that removing all of the school crossing patrollers was a ‘blanket’ option which did not take into account the needs and requirements of individual sites that would be affected by the change.

Cllr Shepherd-DuBey continued: "At the moment we don't have crossings that were to replace the lollipop ladies currently in place. 

"In some of the busier areas (that would be affected) there is lots of traffic.

"If you are dealing with children who have learning disabilities or with special educational needs (using the crossings) safety is an issue with lots of people trying to get to work."

The notice also raised concerns about the amount that would be saved from axing the lollipop men and women, and a notice read: “The desired outcome appears to be to save money yet the costs both of the crossings and the school crossing patrol have not been fully or correctly stated.”

The savings from removing the SCPs is expected to be around £40,000 per year, but Cllr Shepherd-DuBey said: "It is not a huge amount of money."

However, executive member for highways and transport, councillor Anthony Pollock said: "None of the officers I have spoken to support that view (that the decision was unconstitutional).

"We consulted before we moved to phase 2 this year. 

"We have said that we will implement crossings and when and we will provide the facilities in due time.

"The constitutional case is stretched. 

"The crossings will enable people to safely cross the road any time of day.

"I'm hopeful that my colleagues on the committee will support the decision of the executive but that will be up to them."

The committee is set to consider the objection and will either decide to continue plans to axe the SCPs or recommend that the decision should be reconsidered by the executive. 

The meeting will take place on Monday, September 3 at 7pm.