LEARNER drivers and instructors are suffering due to a large number of last minute test cancellations at Kendal, the chair of a driving instructors association has said.

Glyn Jamieson, chairman of the Kendal and District Driving Instructors Association, said that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) did not have an adequate system in place to cover examiner absences.

“When an examiner goes off ill the driving tests that he should have been taking, not only for that day but for many days after, are simply cancelled,” he said.

“There is no system in the DVSA for providing cover other than the haphazard use of examiners from other test centres or occasionally by area managers taking over some of the tests.”

Mr Jamieson said tests booked months in advance could be cancelled and when cover was provided it was based on what was best for the DVSA rather than the customer.

“Early morning and late afternoon tests are cancelled more often to allow for covering examiners to travel to Kendal rather than pay them overtime,” he said.

“Learner drivers invest money in their lessons and often are working towards a date before they go away to university or before they start a new job. Customers often are from other areas and book hotel rooms, time off work and train travel to come to Kendal to take a driving test. Others book intensive courses with the test on the last day of the course. Often these people are already here or already part way through their course before being suddenly told that the DVSA are cancelling their tests as the examiner is no longer available.”

He believes if the DVSA was forced to pay compensation for cancellations it would find a way to manage the issue.

“This can not be left to continue unchecked,” he said. “The monopoly the DVSA holds now needs to be addressed so that others can offer the service and be allowed to compete for our business.”

Responding to Mr Jamieson’s concerns, the DVSA pointed out there had been 57 cancellations at the test centre in 2017/2018 which equated to 2.6 per cent of all tests. Of these, 41 were cancelled due to weather conditions.

Gary McDougall, DVSA’s operational delivery manager, said: “DVSA’s priority is to help you through a lifetime of safe driving.

“Although a relatively small number of tests were cancelled in the last year, we recognise that short notice cancellations are very disappointing for our customers. We do not take the decision to cancel driving tests lightly and to try and avoid or minimise cancellations we will always try and find another examiner to cover the test.

“If we do have to cancel a test at short notice, we will always contact the candidate using the telephone number and email provided at the time of booking, to let them know.”