Councillors clash in row over school crossing patrol at Bedford council

During last night’s Executive Meeting (Wednesday, January 8) councillor Nicola Gribble (Independent, Renhold and Ravensden), the new portfolio holder for environment, added that councillor Charles Royden’s words were also “unacceptable”.

Cllr Royden, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Brickhill, was told the school crossing patrol on Hawk Drive didn’t meet the criteria for one, so the operative was moved to another site with a “much higher risk”,

“Because you feel that it does not meet the criteria therefore it’s cut,” he said to councillor Gribble.

“So after all these decades of us having a school crossing patrol on a very busy road, which is full of people who are dropping off their children in cars at a time when we want people to be walking their children to school.

“When I was portfolio holder I kept the school crossing patrols in spite of people saying that they’re not necessary in different places.

“I said no because it’s a safety aspect – careless cuts cost lives.

“The safety of those children getting to and from the school is on your shoulders now.

“That’s an onerous position to be in when you’ve carried out something without any consultation with all the people concerned,” he said.

Councillor Gribble replied: “The decision was made on the information given.

“Please don’t shout at me, please don’t gesticulate at me, I actually find it quite offensive.

“And I also find it quite offensive that you are saying that children’s lives are my shoulders.

“That is really unacceptable,” she said.