Driving instructors staged a protest in South Shields on Thursday over the closure of their local driving test centre, hoping their actions will help overturn the decision.
The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) plan to shut down South Shields Driving Test Centre on April 10, along with a number of other test centres across the country.
In response to the cuts, 40 local instructors performed a 'go slow' protest in their learner cars this afternoon, driving slowly in two lanes between the test centre on Bede industrial estate and the Town Hall.
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Although examiners are being re-deployed to test centres in the surrounding area, such as Sunderland which is 5.6 miles away, protestors argue that there will still be job losses in the industry as a result.
Jarrow MP Kate Osborne, South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck and Leader of South Tyneside Council Tracey Dixon have all shown their support for the demonstrators and are calling for the centre to remain open.
Vicky Holt, who is a self-employed driving instructor, said: "The DVSA say that people don't need to have lessons in Sunderland to take their test there, but I created a poll which shows that the majority of people would be uncomfortable taking a test on roads they are unfamiliar with."
The 51-year-old, who has been in the industry for the last 12 years and specialises in teaching disabled people, said: "Driving instructors will have to take customers from South Shields to Sunderland every lesson, which means the price and duration of lessons will increase.
"This is damaging because some people can only afford one hour classes, while some people with disabilities aren't comfortable with a longer duration.
"We have done some costings and we estimate that it will cost each learner roughly £250 more, and there will also be increased pollution as people are forced to make unncessary journeys.
"Also, if we increase our lessons time, the waiting list for instructors will also increase. At the moment it takes 6 weeks to be seen!"
Vicky believes there's around 100 instructors in the area who will be impacted by the closure.
And the community has received a lot of support from local people, with a petition against the closure approaching 4,000 signatures.
She added: "The DVSA are a law unto themselves, and they have tried to make this decision without consulting those who will be directly impacted.
"If the closure goes ahead, our research shows that we will lose 30 instructors from South Shields. Thirteen said they won't continue teaching if the centre closes and another 17 said they won't take customers from South Shields anymore.
"It's the final straw after being treated atrociously by the DVSA over the pandemic."
A DVSA spokesperson said in response: “We have made the decision to close the South Shields driving test centre, as there are other nearby centres where the same services can be relocated.
“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.
"It is vital that learners are prepared to drive safely on all types of road before taking their test, rather than simply learning driving test centre routes.”
Jarrow MP Kate Osborne is meeting with the DVSA on Friday to try and convince them to reverse their decision.
In a statement made on January 25, she said: "It is extremely disappointing that the DVSA have not even consulted with the driving instructor community at all about their plans and are intent on closing this vital local service, which has served South Tyneside for decades.
"Along with the driving instructor community, I will continue to keep up the fight on this closure. I have also spoken with the Leader of South Tyneside Council, Councillor Tracey Dixon, and my colleague Emma Lewell-Buck MP, who have also offered their support, along with many local councillors across the Jarrow constituency.
"I maintain my belief that the Bede Industrial Estate test centre in Jarrow should be protected at all costs.
"This impending closure has quite rightly caused anger and upset for local driving instructors, their pupils, the local community and South Tyneside as a whole, and I fear many will leave the profession for good.
"I have already called on the Transport Secretary to call a halt to these closures and I will continue to lobby the Government on this issue."
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