Parents are responsible for the safety of pupils travelling to and from school, a cash-strapped council planning to axe eight crossing patrols has said.

The "test closure" of the school crossing patrols, which have all been vacant for at least 10 months "without unresolved concerns expressed from either parents or the school", is one of the cost-cutting measures proposed by Stoke-on Trent City Council as it looks to tackle a budget shortfall of almost £30m.

There are 37 locations across the city covered by the School Crossing Patrol Service. Each site set to be affected by the proposed cuts will be subject to a safety assessment.

The proposal is set to save the authority £56,000 a year, a report to Thursday's Children and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee said, and school crossing patrols are classed as a "non-statutory function". It added: "The safety of pupils travelling to and from school remains the responsibility of parents.

"Existing occupied crossing patrols will not be affected. Road safety will continue to be reviewed as part of the highways service across the city."

The plans to axe eight patrols would save the authority £56,000 a year (Unsplash).

Councillor Desiree Elliott, cabinet member for education, skills and anti-poverty, said: "The proposal is to delete existing vacancies while protecting patrols that are still in place. Some of these vacancies have been as long as four years and some operate in an area where they already have pelican or zebra crossings.

"We are aware it is a very sensitive issue around school safety and safety of routes to school – this is a budget saving of jobs that have been vacant for some time. We have consulted with schools and they are on board with us.

"We are looking at how we improve safety of kids going to school and encouraging more to walk to school; one of the things we will be looking at in the future is the whole complete walk to school. Sometimes we put in yellow lines directly outside the school gate and it moves the problem round the corner."

Committee vice chair Shaun Pender said: "I know children's safety is paramount, as do all councillors and officers. The road network within our city is not static, it's dynamic.

"Are we aware of any significant imminent changes that may require consideration? There is the hospital development for example – have we thought through the implications of these things?"

Council leader Jane Ashworth said: "There is still time for any schools in the area concerned that not replacing a post is not a good idea at this point in time to make their representations."

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