An MP has said she hopes the DVSA "think again" about the "disappointing and wrong" decision to close their local theory test centre.
Yesterday, the ECHO reported how learner drivers in two Merseyside towns will face long journeys to take theory tests when the testing sites close later this year.
The sites in St Helens and Southport are among 19 set to be axed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in a major reorganisation of the test centre networks
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The total number of testing sites across the country will actually increase, but this comes at the expense of sites in locations including Southport, St Helens, Wigan, and Blackpool.
Changes to the network were confirmed in an email to driving instructors yesterday and will now see two different suppliers managing the sites.
In a statement shared with the ECHO, Marie Rimmer, MP St Helens South and Whiston said: "The decision taken to close the test centre is disappointing and wrong.
"People in St Helens should not have to travel all the way to the centre of Liverpool to do their test. Whether using public transport or getting a lift, it is an expensive and time consuming exercise.
"We’re talking about a test that so many people will have to do to help get a job and to ultimately do well in life. There’s absolutely no reason to make it harder to do.
"The test centre in St Helens not only services our town, but neighbouring towns as well. Residents of Wigan, Warrington, Widnes, Whiston and Prescot would now have to travel a ridiculous amount to do a test almost everyone will do in their lives.
"There are more than enough people living within the vicinity of the St Helens testing centre for it to be viable. I hope the DVSA thinks again."
According to the DVSA, all candidates in urban areas should not have to travel more than 40 minutes to a test centre, but many in Southport will question the feasibility of that.
Learners in St Helens will be asked to travel to either Liverpool or Preston, which is 26 miles away.
Conor McGinn, MP for St Helens North said: "This has come with no notice nor rationale, though the detrimental impact it will have on learners locally is clear.
"I have asked the DVSA for urgent clarity on the future of existing staff, and whether any assessment has been made as to the lasting damage this closure will bring to local provision.
"After the closure of our courts, DWP office and police stations, this is the latest in a line of shameful Tory cuts to the services our people need and rely on."
DVSA officials have already come under fire this year due to the long waiting lists for both theory and practical exams since the initial lockdown.
A DVSA spokesperson said: "Because the new contract to run the theory test service has been awarded to more than one company, the location of many theory test centres will change from 6 September.
"We have tried to make decisions that are best for as many customers as possible. However, in some cases this means some people will now have to travel further, though the distance will have decreased in other cases.
“The increased number of theory test centres (from 180 to 202 across Great Britain) will result in a more even distribution of test centre locations and will make theory tests more accessible to those in remote areas of the country. In the new network all candidates should not have to travel more than 40 miles (rural) or 40 minutes (urban) to get to a test centre unless they choose to travel further."
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