The Driving Standards Agency (DSA), which is a Government Agency, closed Trowbridge Driving Test Centre (DTC) on 29 August 2008. The DSA closed Trowbridge DTC in an underhand way in order to avoid a full public consultation in accordance with their own Code of Practice on consultations. Whilst approximately 25% of Trowbridge DTC customers live more than 20 miles travel distance from their nearest DTC following the closure of Trowbridge DTC the DSA and current Government gave absolutely no consideration to the impact on these customers in terms of cost and time to learn to drive and continued to insist that as more than 50% of Trowbridge DTC customers were within 20 miles travel distance of their nearest DTC following the closure of Trowbridge DTC they did not need to undertake a full public consultation in accordance with their Code of Practice.

Shamrock Driving School has always covered Chippenham and Corsham in addition to Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon and Melksham areas so we have a detailed knowledge of the Chippenham DTC area and we shall continue to teach pupils from Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon and Melksham to drive in their local areas. It will be necessary to familiarise pupils with the roads in Chippenham shortly before taking their driving test. It is this additional requirement, imposed upon us by the DSA and the current Government, which will result in increased time and cost for learner drivers to pass their driving test.

The DSA will state that test candidates should be able to pass their driving test anywhere although their Chief Executive has acknowledged that test candidates will require familairisation lessons in the town in which they will be taking their test. Whilst Shamrock Driving School teach people to drive safely for life and not simply to pass the DSA driving test the truth is that every town has its own pecularities and when you add to this the additional nerves which test candidates frequently suffer in a test environment, a lack of knowledge of the test area could well reduce the chances of an excellent and deserving candidate from passing their test. How many experienced and safe drivers wouldn't commit what the DSA view to be a serious fault during a 40 minute drive in a busy town where they had never driven before and with the added pressure of a stranger sat beside them watching their every move and having the power to decide whether or not they retained the freedom and independence afforded by a driving licence?

It is only the DSA and the current Government who will benefit from the closure of Trowbridge DTC and the resultant cost savings which they themselves state will be £14000 per annum (including staff costs this equates to around £3 per car test undertaken at Trowbridge DTC). Taking into account that it will cost learner drivers between £70 to £220 extra to pass their driving test as a result of the DSA's decision to close Trowbridge DTC, it is my opinion that the closure is effectively yet another stealth tax imposed by the current Government on learner drivers in the areas affected by the closure of Trowbridge DTC!

The Wessex Association of Driving Schools actively campaigned for the DSA to undertake a full consultation exercise and hopefully stop the closure but the underhand way in which the DSA and the current Government imposed the closure prevented our legal challenge from being feasible. We received exemplary support from our local MP, Dr Andrew Murrison (Conservative - Westbury), together with active support from David Heath MP (Liberal Democrat - Somerton and Frome), Annunziata Rees-Mogg (Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Somerton and Frome), James Gray MP (Conservative - North Wiltshire) and Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North East Somerset). The only local MP who put his political party's interests before those of his local constituents was Dan Norris MP (Labour - North East Somerset) who, by his lack of active involvement despite being invited to support the campaign, has endorsed the increased cost and time to learn to drive imposed by his Government on his Constituents in Midsomer Norton, Radstock and Writhlington together with the resultant imposition of more learner cars on his Constituents in Keynsham and Saltford.

I'd like to personally thank everyone who supported our campaign and encourage all new drivers between September 2008 and the next General Election (when many will have their first opportunity to vote) who are adversely affected by the closure of Trowbridge DTC together with residents in the Chippenham, Salisbury, Brislington, Kingswood, Keynsham and Saltford areas who, as a result of the closure, have additonal learner cars forced onto their local streets by the current Government and the DSA to take this issue into account when they vote at the next General Election.