James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, has expressed his outrage at today’s closure of Southend-on-Sea’s Driving Test Centre despite repeated calls to save the centre being made at the highest levels.
The decision to close the test centre was originally proposed in December 2007 following a European Union directive which demanded that off-road facilities were available at all test centres for complex motorcycle manoeuvres. The decision was made to re-locate all driving tests to a larger Multi Purpose Test Centre in Basildon in August this year which would have a greater capacity. However figures released by the Department for Transport - in response to a Written Parliamentary Question tabled by James in November - show that this may not be the case. According to the Department for Transport the new centre in Basildon only has the capacity for 980 practical tests per month, while the Southend centre alone used to be able to accommodate on average 800 tests per month. This could result in long delays for those needing to book a test at the Basildon centre.
In response to today’s closure James said:
“I am outraged that the closure of the Southend-on-Sea Driving Test Centre went ahead despite the concerted efforts of local people to save it. It is clear that the Driving Standards Agency and Department for Transport had already made the decision to move the test centre to the Basildon site from the very beginning. I have little faith in figures released by the Department for Transport, which do not seem to accurately estimate the demand placed on the Basildon test centre. Theses figures support my argument that the Southend Test Centre should not have been closed until further consultations had been taken.”
Today’s closure comes despite substantial opposition from local residents who drew up a 3,000 strong petition of signatures calling for the test centre in Southend to remain open. James presented this petition to Parliament in June, and held an adjournment debate with his colleagues David Amess MP and Mark Francois MP about the proposed closure. Despite these efforts the Department for Transport decided to go ahead with the closure and move all tests to the Basildon centre.
James further commented:
“I am disappointed that the Driving Standards Agency did not change their minds about the decision to close the centre. Unfortunately the people who will suffer the most as a result of the closure are driving instructors and the young people of Southend-on-Sea. The people of Rochford and Southend East fought a long and hard campaign, and I feel 3,000 voices have been ignored by the Government in this case.”
5 December 2008