A regional daily has launched a campaign to fight proposals to scrap paid lollipop ladies in favour of volunteers.

The Peterborough Evening Telegraph has launched its Lollipop Cutbacks Campaign opposing the plans which are included in Peterborough City Council’s recent budget proposals.

Parents have backed the campaign saying it would put children’s lives at risk just for the sake of saving £43,000.

The proposals would affect eight schools and would see council employed lollipop men and women losing their jobs and replaced with volunteers.

Editor Mark Edwards said, as expected, readers reacted strongly to the newspaper’s story about budget cuts and the proposals to axe a vital service in order to save a small amount of money.

The campaign was then launched, along with the online petition which was soon backed by parents, teachers as well as local councillors from the ruling conservative group.

Said Mark: “We are hoping it will force the council to think again about that part of the proposal.

“It’s a really small amount of money but the consequences of those people not being there could dreadful if something happened to a small child on a busy road.

“We hope it’s dropped and the council can save the money another way.

He added: “We are here to put a megaphone in the hands of the little guy and say ‘Yes I can’.”

A campaign launched by the Peterborough Evening Telegraph is gaining strengh

The budget is set to be finalised in February but the Evening Telegraph hopes the proposals will be dropped by then.

More than 100 people have signed the Evening Telegraph’s online petition calling on the council to retain the paid lollipop crossing patrollers.

This is on top of 400-plus parents who have signed petitions collected outside three primary schools.

Support for the campaign has also come from the daughter of one of the first lollipop ladies in the city.