Lack of patrol

IN RESPONSE to Terry Banfield’s letter on the school crossing patrol on North Road, Croesyceiliog.
As he states, unfortunately the crossing patroller at this site has been off work due to sickness, however, we are expecting them to return to work within the next week.
Due to the difficulties we have in recruiting patrollers, we do not have a relief patrol that we can deploy in these instances. But this has nothing to do with ‘cuts to services’ as stated by Mr Banfield – recruiting patrol staff is a recognised problem that is common to many local authorities. 
We have worked closely with the school who have alerted parents to the lack of a crossing patrol on this section of road, and also Gwent Police, who have provided a community support officer to assist us on a number of occasions when their resources have allowed. 
However, it is important to remember that the responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of a child on their journey to and from school rests with the parent or guardian, and this remains the case even when a patrol is in place.