Fate of lollipop people is poles apart

Britain's lollipop person of the year was crowned today - but her opposite number a few streets away is set to lose his job amid council cuts.

As Pauline Martin collects her giant golden lollipop after being voted Kwik-Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year 2010, Michael Wells is contemplating redundancy.

Children at the private Herne Hill School in Southwark who are helped across the road by Mrs Martin will be safer than pupils five minutes' walk away at state-run St Jude's CE primary in Lambeth, which will lose Mr Wells, 62, as the Labour-run council axes two dozen patrols to save £150,000.

While Southwark is cutting 10 of its 52 patrols to save £50,000, 67-year-old Mrs Martin's job is safe.

The borough - also Labour-run - said even though Herne Hill was an £8,000-a-year private school, it was legally obliged to pay for its lollipop patrols.

However, St Jude's has been told the only way to keep Mr Wells is to find £5,000, which it cannot afford.

Parents have been joined by teachers and pupils for a 100-strong sit-down protest in the road against the plans.

Emily Fielden, a mother of two children at the school, said: "Why should we be forced to pay for our lollipop patrol when in the next-door borough the local authority pays for it?"

Lambeth council maintains that because its budget is being slashed by a third it has no choice but to axe patrols.