Of the forty such patrols in Suffolk eighteen are in Waveney. Public opposition to the termination of this service is strong.

By closing this service in Suffolk it is hoped to trim about £200,000 from the council’s budget. This is a pathetically small amount of money to be weighed in the balance of child safety.

Cabinet members insist that amounts such as this soon add up to the £43m that the council is trying to save, but it is still a pittance, so tiny it is even smaller than the Chief Executives salary.

“Lollipop” men and women, most of them pensioners and not usually prone to demonstrating, have been asking parents to write expressing their opposition to the council.

As Waveney’s only non-Tory county councillor, I have been working with the patrol officers and am pleased to report that we now have approaching 4000 letters.

These letters, along with similar protests from all over the county, will then be presented to Guy McGregor the portfolio holder at Endeavour House in Ipswich.

Council’s plans will be finalised at a Cabinet meeting on 1st February and these plans put before the full council on 17th.

My vote will be to retain the crossing service. You can find how your councillor voted on Suffolk CC’s website.