From the Kirriemuir Herald – the Prime Minister has been challenged over planned closures of the Forfar and Arbroath test centres.
I’m not exactly sure what the beef is.
Commenting on the closures Mr Weir said: “It is completely unacceptable that the Driving Standards Agency can act in this high handed and undemocratic way.
“They simply announced the closure of the centres in a letter about the opening of the new multi-purpose test centre in Dundee. There was no consultation with either the community or the instructors affected by the move.
So? That’s exactly what happened around here when West Bridgford and Gedling closed, and Colwick MPTC took over. Parking and access to both West Bridgford and Gedling TCs was appalling and moving to the MPTC has turned out to be great – although that’s not how ADIs viewed it at the time (big surprise there, then).
Arbroath, Forfar, and Dundee are each about 15 miles apart – so those who previously took tests in Arbroath or Forfar will simply have to travel 15 miles to Dundee. Compare that with the cost of maintaining two additional test centres and there’s no comparison.
The politician involved (Mike Weir) appears to have a much bigger issue on his mind. He talks of “localism” and “consultations” with the local community. And, of course, this is Scotland we are talking about – so the chances of positive discrimination in one form or another is a card he can play.
A quick look at the Google images for the three locations show that both Arbroath and Forfar TCs are located in narrow streets in residential areas – just like West Bridgford and Gedling were. A look at the Dundee image shows a wide open industrial area – just like the Colwick MPTC location. The Dundee MPTC opens on February 28th, which means it has been purpose-built: planned as a direct replacement for Arbroath and Forfar, and also covering the Dundee area.
Mr Weir has the additional lever in that Mickey Mouse – sorry, I mean the Prime Minister of this joke government – is hell bent on reversing everything that was ever decided under Labour.
They should all get a life.
EDIT 18/02/2011: An update to this story – a stay of execution is granted to Arbroath TC.
If Mike Weir gets his ridiculous way on this, I want West Bridgford and Gedling back – and the Colwick MPTC converting back to a fly-tipping site.
EDIT 22/02/2011: According to The Courier newspaper, a “one year reprieve” has been granted to the test centres. The wording allows all concerned parties to pretend that they have won.
Reading between the lines, though, and the test centres are still likely to close – it’s just that the government is going to take a year to “consider” it:
Mr Weir had been verbally assured by UK transport under-secretary Mike Penning that the centres would not be shut while the matter was being considered, and that promise has now been cemented.
That part I’ve emboldened is the key phrase. The article continues:
He said, “The DSA have assured me that the two centres will remain open for at least a year whilst all options are looked at for delivering the service in Arbroath and Forfar. The strong campaign, locally and in Parliament, has clearly forced a major rethink in how the DSA are looking at local test centres and I will be keeping up the pressure to try and ensure that we continue to have testing facilities locally.”
Mr Weir claimed the extension would provide “breathing space” and time for discussion.
It’s not quite the same as a reprieve, is it? And a tacit admisson, perhaps, that they are going to close at some point from Mr Weir? The DSA replies:
…”We will be continuing to use the test centres at Arbroath and Forfar for another year while we consider all options for service delivery in that area.”
Seeing as the new MPTC was due to open very soon (so has obviously been partly built, or at least planned to building point), the DSA has now been forced into a money-wasting situation by Mr Weir and those ADIs who couldn’t accept change.
And speaking of wastes of money, the following comparison of phrases in the article is interesting:
A campaign was mounted by a group of driving instructors who claimed they, and their students, stood to lose thousands of pounds if the centres were axed.
Arbroath councillor David Fairweather helped the instructors’ group to set up meetings and stage a protest outside the test centre in the town last month.
I wonder how much that cost? As much as keeping two small test centres open instead of moving to a single purpose-built one? It’s just a case of the tail wagging the dog. ADIs are experts at that sometimes.
Of course, the main protagonists hail it as “a u-turn”.