In February this year, the DVSA announced the closure of the Glamis Hall Driving Test Centre in Wellingborough, a move opposed by many of the town’s driving instructors. Recently, around 40 instructors formed a motorcade driving through the centre of Wellingborough to protest the closure. Here’s what we know…
The Glamis Hall driving test centre in Wellingborough will open its doors for the final time on 11 April. Following the closure, driving test candidates will instead have to travel to nearby Northampton or Kettering for test appointments.
In a campaign dubbed ‘Stop Wexit’, local driving instructors protested the decision to close the test centre for good. Group leader of ‘Stop Wexit’, Chris Brown, said: “Wellingborough and district driving instructors are incensed at being treated like this once again by the DVSA.”
“This campaign has, at its centre, 40-plus approved driving instructors who have a vested interest in keeping this facility open. We are supported by a huge number of people from the public and businesses alike. We have two petitions running simultaneously, paper and online, and so far have collected over 1,500 signatories,” Brown said.
Keep the Driving Test Centre in Wellingborough Open
The ‘Stop Wexit’ campaign urges the DVSA to reconsider the closure of the Glamis Hall driving test centre in Wellingborough.
The motorcade took place on 16 March, starting at 12.30pm outside Glamis Hall located on Goldsmith Road, and heading down Northampton Road and Wellingborough High Street. The motorcade was set to arrive Peter Bone’s High Street office at 1pm for a meeting.
Mr Bone said: “I’m fully behind the ‘Stop Wexit’ campaign.”
“The Wellingborough driving test centre is used by thousands of local people each and every year and with the growth of people now living and working in Wellingborough, this driving test centre will be vital to manage the increase in people wanting to take their test.”
Driving test centre in Wellingborough has better success rate than Northampton and Kettering
According to DVSA data, between April and September 2018, the driving test centre in Wellingborough had a much higher success rate than the Northampton and Kettering test centres.
Of the 393 learners taking their test at Glamis Hall 59.8 per cent passed, far higher than the 52 per cent success rate at Kettering and the 48.9 per cent success rate in Northampton.
Back in February, when the closure was first announced, operational director at the DVSA, Richard Hennessy, said: “The temporary driving test centre at Wellingborough only opens for two days a week. Using the nearby test centres at Northampton and Kettering we will be able to provide all candidates with a more consistent service, seven days a week.”
“Candidates can take their test at neighbouring driving test centres, which have lower waiting times than Wellingborough and capacity to accommodate additional test bookings,” Hennessy added.
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