The Liberal Democrats in Lichfield and Burntwood said proposals to cut lollipop men and women were “a new low”.
The comments come after Staffordshire County Council did a u-turn over the plan to axe school crossing patrols as part of a bid to plug a funding gap.
But Liberal Democrat spokesperson Miles Trent said the idea should never have been on the agenda in the first place.
“This plan was totally unacceptable,” he siad. “The Conservatives really reached a new low in proposing this cut.
“I appreciate that councils are under severe financial pressure – and this due to the policies of the Conservative government. But these lollipop patrol services are crucial to our local community and the safety of our young people.
“That the county council needs to save money is accepted, but the idea that children should be put at risk in order to ‘balance the books’ is not.”
The county council’s proposal would have seen a move towards community-funded wardens.
Mr Trent said: “There is a very worrying trend where county councils look to push down their responsibilities to city and parish councils.
“The cost of each patrol is £4,000 and Lichfield City Council simply would not have the cash to fund all the patrols across Lichfield. There are 18 schools within the city of Lichfield.
“Lib Dem Councillor Paul Ray raised this issue directly with Cllr Philip Atkins, Conservative leader of Staffordshire County Council at a recent meeting.
“This pressure has paid off as the Conservatives have scrapped this ridiculous plan.”
