DVLA protest banner arrives at Shrewsbury site
A protest banner has arrived in Shrewsbury as part of a nationwide campaign to stop the closure of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agencies all over the country.
The DVLA centre on Battlefield Enterprise Park, Shrewsbury, is one of 39 regional centres across the country to be axed by the Government – resulting in 19 job losses. A total of 1,200 jobs will be lost nationally.
Former transport minister Mike Penning said the centralisation of services would save about £26m a year.
But members of the Public and Commercial Services union have launched a campaign to highlight what they call the 'deeply flawed decision' to close the network of local offices.
A banner is being taken to every closure-threatened DVLA centre across the county.
It started its journey by making an appearance at the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton and PCS members will also be displaying it at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham this week.
Its journey will end at the Trade Union Congress' anti-austerity protest on October 20 in London. Members of Shrewsbury's DVLA workforce turned out to greet the banner's arrival yesterday.
Richard Cotterill, a Shrewsbury PCS representative, said: "It is staggering that ministers and DVLA management are involved in pushing through this decision, which is so contrary to the wishes of DVLA's customers.
"The closures will mean the withdrawal of a valued public service and will mean that tax evasion and fraud will increase, and closure plans will weaken DVLA's ability to prosecute offenders.
"We urge everyone to . . . sign our e-petition http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/36018 and write to their MP."