Join our Campaign - "Safety Before Savings"

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the withdrawal of school crossing guards from local schools by Conservative run Harrow Council.

The 5 crossing guard positions set to be cut impact the following schools in Harrow:

Pinner Park Primary School, Headstone Lane
Nower Hill High School, North Harrow
Cannon Lane Primary School, Pinner
Belmont Primary School, Wealdstone
Norbury Primary School, Central Harrow

Conservative Councillors are in the process of cutting £26,000 from the Highways Road Safety budget and leaving local headteachers with an ultimatum for the 5 schools to take on the responsibility for the safety crossing guards or face an outright cut in service. This policy has been imposed on local schools without any public consultation or consideration of the views of residents and parents.

This decision will have a serious impact on the safety of children, parents, and the wider community, increasing the risk of accidents and endangering lives. Thus far, the Council cannot confirm if a full safety assessment has been conducted, which is contradictory to current road safety policies.

School crossing guards play a vital role in ensuring that children can travel to and from school safely and regulating traffic flows during busy periods reducing queues around schools. Removing this essential service will force children to navigate busy roads on their own, which is especially dangerous for younger students who may not yet have the necessary road safety awareness. This is particularly concerning given the high number of traffic accidents at busy road junctions that have occurred close to local schools.

We believe that safeguarding our children’s journey to school should be a top priority. We therefore request immediate action to maintain school crossing guards at all necessary locations. In recent years, millions of pounds has been raised from Council Tax increases and therefore the service should be protected.

We therefore demand this cut in service is immediately stopped and the Conservative-run Council prioritise the safety and well-being of our school children and students in Harrow.

Petition on behalf of;

Local Harrow Schools, Children, Students & Parents

Harrow Residents

Labour Group of Councillors on Harrow Council