After 24 years in the profession, due to spending cuts, Havering Council has decided to make veteran Lollipop Man Alfred Tollon redundant.
Andrew has released the following statement.
I am saddened to hear of the redundancy of Alfred Tollon, the wonderful 93-year-old ‘lollipop man’ from Romford who looked after the children from Harrow Lodge School for 24 years, as a result of cuts made by Havering Council.
Lollipop men and women play a vital role, greeting families with a smile and keeping children safe on their way to and from school. Astonishingly, less than 15% of schools in Havering are now served by crossing patrol officers!
The decline of this important profession is a huge loss to our communities and risks the safety of our children!
The loss of crossing patrol officers is yet another example of the real-world impact of the outdated local authority funding formula, which results in very tough decisions by authorities like Havering Council.
However, Alf offered to carry on his work at not cost, yet Havering Council still said no. This is not right. The cost of the insurance to keep him working could not have been that much, they should reveal with cost and let us all make a judgement on whether this is a sensible decision.
The long term funding issue needs to be addressed and I reiterate my call on the government to consider urgent reform!
