Highways & Neighbourhoods Cabinet Member – Minutes – 21 May 2013

53 (2) SCHOOL CROSSING PATROLS – PAYMENT OF A RECRUITMENT SUPPLEMENT – The Director of Places submitted a report informing the Cabinet Member of the options for the payment of a recruitment supplement to the Schools Crossing Patrol service.

There were 60 approved School Crossing Patrol sites in North Lincolnshire, currently there were six vacancies.  The sites in Messingham, Broughton and Scawby had all been vacant for more than two years despite numerous attempts to recruit someone to the post, and another site had been empty for 20 months.  Other vacant sites had been empty for a shorter time.

School Crossing Patrols worked an average of five and a half hours per week during school term time.  Their working day was split into two short shifts, one in the morning before the start of the school day and another at the end of the school day.  Most shifts lasted less than one hour with many lasting half an hour or less.

The short shifts, twice a day, meant that most patrols were recruited from the local community as travelling costs put off people from further away.  Recruitment was usually difficult with sometimes many months between a site becoming vacant and someone applying and there was rarely more than one applicant.

Funding had been allocated to the School Crossing Patrol service as a recruitment supplement to help encourage applicants to fill vacancies and retain staff.  The report set out the various options as to how the supplement could be received by the patrols.

Resolved – That Option 3, as set out in the report at paragraph 3.3 of the report, be approved.