Campaigners call for Whitchurch Driving Test Centre to stay open

A petition calling on the Department for Transport to perform a U-turn on plans to close the centre in Paul Moss has attracted more than 1,900 signatures in only a few days.

"It will mean people having to pay £60 for a double slot to go to the next nearest centre," said veteran Whitchurch driving instructor Ron Ingall, who has been teaching learner drivers for 47 years.

The next test centre closest to Whitchurch is at Crewe, 14 miles away. There are also DVSA test centres in Wrexham, Chester, at the Battlefield Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury, Horton Wood in Telford, Oswestry and Ludlow.

"The next nearest centre may be 14 miles away in Crewe as the crow flies but it is in a town that people won't know. Every town has little quirks, which if people don't know about, can be setting them up to fail," said Mr Ingall.

The Whitchurch and District Association of Professional Driving Instructors held a campaign meeting at the Dodington Lodge in town on Monday. Fifteen people, including three Shropshire and two Whitchurch councillors, turned up to give their help.

"They made phenomenal suggestions," said Mr Ingall.

The campaigners will be calling on local schools for help, as they believe young people are in the firing line over the closure.

"It will decimate the young people, not just the 16 and 17 year olds but the younger children, too.

"Whitchurch isn't a high-wage area and people need to drive to be able to get jobs," he added. "Without a car, they won't get a job. All this at a time when parents are under stress with rising bills."

Mr Ingall said he is also trying to contact recently-elected North Shropshire MP, Helen Morgan, to invite her to the next meeting on Monday, January 31.

Mrs Morgan hasn't yet got an office team to support her, however she is aware of the situation and supports the campaigners. She plans to write to the DVSA.

Mrs Morgan said: "It is devastating and frustrating to hear that the Whitchurch Test Centre will be closing in April, it is yet another sign of this Government taking us for granted.

"It goes without saying that this decision should be reversed, the next nearest centre is miles away in Crewe and will come as a huge inconvenience to residents.

"I can safely say that I will be fighting the decision and working to keep the centre open alongside driving instructors, and those learning to drive across the constituency. We know nationally that there is a huge backlog of people waiting to take their tests.

"This week, I will be writing to the minister responsible for the DVSA this week to dispute the decision and will also be looking to raise the concerns of driving instructors and learners in Parliament. Residents in Whitchurch and the surrounding area will be hugely and unfairly affected by this change."

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency says it is closing the centre at Lodge Paul Moss because there are "other nearby centres where the same services can be relocated."

A spokesperson for the Nottingham-based DVSA confirmed that the Whitchurch site is closing after April 10.

They added: “We understand this change may cause an inconvenience for some, but we have worked hard to ensure that there is no change in the number of tests provided to local candidates, and no tests were lost as a result of the closure.”