The recent closure of the Flintshire test centre at Mold in North Wales has sparked outrage in local learner drivers and young people.
The centre, which served hundreds of learner drivers in the community, closed last March with little warning, leaving many would-be drivers in the lurch. Pre-booked tests at the centre were cancelled with little or no warning, and although new bookings were offered at the Chester test centre, this imposed massive costs on learners.
New booking dates at the already busy Chester centre meant learner drivers had to continue with their lessons for up to 8 more weeks – a cost (based on one hourly lesson a week) of £200-300. Furthermore, with a need to practise their driving and manoeuvres in the city of Chester (a 25-mile and 30-minute drive away), learners were forced to book 2-hour lessons on many occasions, doubling their costs.
Unsurprisingly, the move has put many local teenagers off learning to drive. Mold councillor Chris Bithell was openly critical of the centre closure and has been vocal in his belief that the decision to close was “a classic example of service being taken away from the community at a cost to the individual.”
Sadly, this is not a rare occurrence, with closures happening all over the UK. If you’re thinking of booking your own test, it’s worth checking with your local driving test centre that they still plan to be operational in 2 months’ time.
