Plan to axe DVLA centre
Bleak Christmas for employees at Theale as closure proposal is announced
DRIVING home Christmas misery for the 23 employees and thousands of users of the Theale DVLA centre, the Government has said it is pushing ahead with plans to axe the office.
Transport Minister Mike Penning said 39 offices across England, Scotland and Wales will be closed by the end of 2013.
He said that the proposal, which will now be consulted on, “will make dealing with the DVLA easier and quicker for motorists and businesses”.
Ten of the 39 centres include DVLA regional enforcement centres.
The Government believes the work done at the centres should be centralised at the DVLA's headquarters in Swansea in South Wales, to save around £28 million a year.
Mr Penning said: “This is a major step change which will make dealing with the DVLA easier and quicker for motorists and businesses up and down the country.
“Centralising the DVLA's services is the first crucial step towards making more of its transactions available online, allowing people to deal with the DVLA at their chosen time and place. “This will mean quicker turnarounds and meet our customers' growing needs.”
The district councillor for Theale, Alan Macro (Lib Dem), said it was a bitter pill for families to swallow at this time of the year.
“It is a blow for the people in the area; both those who work there and those who rely on the centre either in an individual capacity or work,” he said.
“There are lot of companies in Theale and West Berkshire who use the centre too which will cause problems.
“Closing the centre will make life very difficult for many people.
“It has only been open about five years and has much better parking and access than the old one in Basingstoke Road, it is a shame to see it go.
“Somehow there always seems to be cases of people getting bad news just before Christmas, you would think that maybe they could have put this announcement off until January or something to let the employees and their families enjoy Christmas.
Regional offices carry out administrative functions like arranging trade plates, vehicle inspections and personalised number plate transfers.
Staff consultation is now taking place, and ends on March 6.
