COUNTY Hall chiefs have abandoned controversial proposals to stop paying for 148 lollipop men and women at East Lancashire primary schools.

Lancashire County Council Tory leader Geoff Driver and Hyndburn Labour MP Graham Jones hailed the Lancashire Telegraph for forcing the dramatic last-minute U-turn on school crossing patrol cash.

The authority’s Labour finance boss David Borrow last night confirmed the change of heart, admitting it was ‘embarrassing’.

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He has dropped plans to ask the full Lancashire County Council meeting tomorrow to endorse the move.

Cllr Borrow said the proposal to make schools pay for their own lollipop men and women has now been dropped for at least 12 months.

Now Mr Jones, Cllr Driver and primary heads and governors want it abandoned forever.

Last year Cllr Borrow proposed to halve the council’s £4,000 contribution to each of the county’s 340 primary school crossing patrols with effect from the autumn term.

In this year’s budget plans, he proposed scrapping the contribution altogether, forcing head teachers to pay for lollipop people out of their own budgets from September.

When the plan became public, governors, politicians and lollipop people expressed fears children could be injured or even killed as many primaries could not afford to pay.

Cllr Borrow then suggested returning to the 2014 scheme to halve the contribution.

Last night he admitted defeat and scrapped the plans to introduce the cut this autumn.

There are 340 patrols with 30 in Burnley, 22 in Pendle, 28 in Rossendale, 17 in Hyndburn, 16 in Ribble Valley and 35 in Chorley.

Blackburn with Darwen borough in 2013 dropped a plan to halve its 34 school crossing patrols, and has no plans to reduce its current service.

Cllr Driver said: “I am absolutely delighted.

“The county’s Labour leadership wanted to do this in secret, “This is a U-turn of spectacular proportions which would not have happened if the Lancashire Telegraph had not exposed their plan.

“We now want to see this dangerous proposal scrapped f or good.”

Mr Jones said: “I am delighted. Congratulations to the Lancashire Telegraph.

“I do not think this U-turn would have happened without the paper making the public aware of this dangerous proposal which should now be abandoned for good.” Lisa Davison, head of Burnley’s 411-pupil Stoneyholme Primary said: “I know other heads, some with two crossing wardens were very concerned. We want the proposal abandoned for good.”

Barrow primary governor Terry Hill said: “This is a victory for common sense and the Lancashire Telegraph. This plan needs to be dropped for good.”

Cllr Borrow said: “There will be no change to the county’s funding of school crossing patrols for the school year 2015/2016.

“We need to consult on any changes.

“The earliest it can come into effect is September 2016..

“Our plans were flawed and it would have been embarrassing if we had not realised this before the full council meeting. We will not propose any changes to the £1.5m school crossing budget in the coming financial year.”