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DfT planning whole scale closure of vehicle testing centres

9 February 2010

"Purely for modelling purposes, we have assumed that 60 of VOSA's 89 test stations could be closed over a 6 year period".

The above is an extract from a Freedom Of Information (FOI) Request in relation to Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs).

Currently most buses and coaches are safety checked once a year at DfT (in the guise of VOSA) run testing centres. To save money DfT wants to shut many of these testing centres and have most safety checks conducted at privately run facilities; that is at Authorised Testing Facilities. Staff from DfT would still continue to carry out the checks, albeit at the ATFs.

The FOI reply states (quoting from an internal DfT paper):

If 85% of tests were being done at non-VOSA premises, the requirement for VOSA test stations would obviously be very much reduced. Purely for modelling purposes, we have assumed that 60 of VOSA’s 89 test stations could be closed over a 6 year period. In practice, however, we will need to develop a closure programme which is directly linked to progress on ATFs. We do not want VOSA sites to compete with ATFs and we do not want to end up in a position where we still have a largish but very under utilised VOSA estate providing only, say, 15% of tests. Our philosophy should be to close VOSA sites as soon as we judge that there is sufficient ATF provision in the area concerned. There will also be advantage in encouraging early ATFs in areas where they are likely rapidly to replace an existing VOSA site. (ideally taking it over).

This attitude revealed in internal DfT papers stands in mark contrast to that of the House of Common’s Transport Committee. In their report on enforcement activities of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) published late last year they say:

We recognise that the use of private sector sites may be helpful in cutting costs and ensuring that operators receive a flexible annual testing service. However, we believe that any move towards complete privatisation of test sites would disproportionately affect smaller operators who have fewer resources. We further believe that certain areas of the country would be less profitable and could consequently be under-served by the private sector. Therefore, we recommend that VOSA be required to retain a significant network of sites in order to maintain adequate coverage for annual testing throughout the UK and to safeguard VOSA's role as the independent enforcement agency. (Paragraph 12 of the report)

DfT’s official reply to this states in part:

The driving theme of the Testing Transformation Programme (TTP) is to take testing to the customer, with the objective, where possible, of moving vehicle testing closer to the place where vehicle maintenance is carried out. The programme is not property led, so it is not a leading objective to reduce the VOSA estate per se through closing existing testing stations (our emphasis). However, it is expected that by increasing the provision of third party owned sites authorised to host heavy vehicle testing VOSA will be in a position to reduce the size of the VOSA testing estate. But, VOSA testing stations would only close when it was assured that there was sufficient alternative testing capacity in the market. In so doing VOSA will be especially mindful of the position of small operators. And, it is planned that VOSA should retain at least some of the existing testing estate over the next few years in order to ensure there is sufficient testing capacity.

A final quote from the FOI reply (again from a DfT paper):

In the short term, some estate rationalisation can be achieved simply by removing excess capacity. However the key both to service transformation and cutting costs and further reductions in the estate is making a success of the proposed new Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs) in selected pilot locations as rapidly as possible (again our emphasis).

PCS is opposed to DfT plans to cut testing stations and replace them with ATFs. The Union, along with sister Unions in VOSA, appeared before the House of Common’s Transport Committee when they were investigating the enforcement activities of that agency. We persuaded the committee of the need for DfT-run testing centres. Our task now is to persuade the Government of the same thing.
 

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