A West Cornwall MP is stepping up his campaign for the Penzance Driving Test Centre (DTC) to re-open as soon as possible.

The Penzance DTC was closed last month by the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for ‘essential maintenance’.

During the closure, driving tests which would have been taken in Penzance have been moved to Camborne, leading to, rearranged test dates hiked costs and journeys of over an hour for some West Cornwall constituents.

Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has urged the DVSA to find a temporary, alternative base in Penzance, or to seek ‘common sense solutions’ to allow candidates to take driving tests closer to home:

He said: “DVSA Managers have told me they don’t know how long the repairs to the Penzance DTC will take. They’re concerned about what’s ‘cost-effective for the DVSA’ but don’t seem to care two-hoots about additional cost and inconvenience for test candidates!”

The recent closure of the Penzance test centre is another blow to local candidates, and driving instructors, who are affected by the nationwide issue of long waiting times for practical tests. According to the Government data, candidates face average wait times of over 20 weeks, with some rural areas facing even longer hold-ups.

Mr George said: “Mismanagement of the previous Conservative government created a huge backlog of practical driving tests. My Liberal Democrat Parliamentary colleagues and I are pressing the new Government to urgently address this.

“Ministers have told me that the DVSA’s plans to increase capacity include asking examiners to travel further to conduct tests – but have failed to acknowledge the particular geographic challenges of those who live at the end of a long peninsular. Once again, decisions made in distant London don’t take our circumstances into account.”

Prior to its temporary closure, Penzance DTC had been operating as an ‘outstation’ of the full time DTC at Camborne. Penzance DTC was open only two days per week. Andrew has urged the Department of Transport to reinstate full time hours at Penzance DTC.

He adds: “West Cornwall shouldn't have to settle for a second-rate service. Especially in rural areas like ours – access to a car is a lifeline for many and essential to keep our economy on the road. Re-establishing full time opening hours at Penzance DTC would mean more people can take tests closer to home and contribute to addressing the overall lack of test capacity.”

Mr George will be launching a petition calling for a full time DTC in Penzance to be established, and is planning to meet with affected constituents in the coming weeks.