The campaign to reopen the South Shields Driving Test Centre (DTC) has gathered serious momentum – and rightly so.
As reported by the Shields Gazette, councillors across South Tyneside have united behind calls to bring back the facility that once served thousands of local learners before closing in 2022.
For a borough still grappling with record driving test backlogs, the case is not just emotional – it’s practical, economic, and environmental.
At Rated Driving, we see these issues unfold in real time. Learners are waiting months for test slots, instructors are driving long distances to access centres, and local economies are missing out on opportunities once sustained by their test facilities.
The South Shields story is not an isolated local issue – it’s a snapshot of what’s happening nationwide.
A Centre Lost – and a Community Left Behind
The South Shields DTC, based in Jarrow’s Bede Industrial Estate, was closed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) as part of a consolidation plan that merged operations with the Sunderland Driving Test Centre.
The logic at the time was efficiency. But in practice, it’s created bottlenecks and barriers.
Since its closure, learners from across South Tyneside – from Hebburn to Boldon – have been forced to travel to Sunderland or even further afield to take their tests.
That means:
Higher costs in fuel and lesson time.
Longer waiting lists (now exceeding six months in Sunderland).
Reduced accessibility for those without easy transport links.
Environmental impact from increased car travel.
For many, the closure of South Shields DTC didn’t just remove a test site – it dismantled an ecosystem that supported instructors, learners, and local businesses alike.
The Campaign Reignited
Driving instructor Vikki Holt, owner of Top Gun Driving School in Hebburn, has been the driving force (quite literally) behind the renewed campaign.
Vikki originally led the 2022 movement urging the DVSA to reverse the closure. Now, with backlogs at an all-time high, she’s reignited the fight – and this time, the South Tyneside Council is standing firmly behind her.
At a full council meeting on 23 October 2025, councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Labour motion demanding the centre’s reopening.
The motion highlighted:
“Thousands of candidates accessing the booking system every Monday” with almost no success.
Wait times of six months or more at the Sunderland centre.
The environmental and economic costs of forcing learners to travel out of the borough.
The “significant increases since 2022 in private bookings without dual controls,” making examiners’ jobs even harder.
In short: the system isn’t coping. And the absence of South Shields DTC is making it worse.
What the Council Said
The motion, introduced by Cllr Stephen Dean, framed the reopening as “imperative” to tackling an “unprecedented” backlog.
“The facility is still owned by DVSA and it would make sound economic sense to utilise this government asset which is currently being allowed to become derelict,” he said.
“Reopening would have a huge benefit on the residents of South Tyneside, as well as easing the burden on Sunderland.”
The motion called for formal letters to be sent to:
The Chief Executive of the DVSA
The Minister for Future of Roads
The Secretary of State for Transport
And Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor
All urging them to support the campaign and prioritise reopening the site.
The proposal gained cross-party backing from Labour, Green, and Independent councillors alike – a rare show of political unity around a transport issue.
Green Party councillor Sue Stonehouse put it plainly:
“Some employers request that job applicants have driving licences. For many residents, learning to drive isn’t a luxury — it’s essential for work, independence, and access.”
A Local Issue with National Relevance
While South Shields is the focus, the underlying story echoes across the UK.
From Watford to Aberdeen, driving test centres have been closed or merged in recent years as part of DVSA’s estate rationalisation strategy. The result has been fewer local options and longer queues at surviving centres.
At Rated Driving, we’ve mapped national learner demand and can see the same trend in multiple regions – particularly in areas where test centres were consolidated post-Covid.
The pattern is clear:
Learners are travelling further.
Test cancellations have increased.
Pass rates have dropped slightly, as unfamiliar test routes add pressure.
Lesson costs are rising, because instructors must factor in travel time.
This isn’t just a South Tyneside issue – it’s a structural challenge for the entire UK testing network.
Six-Month Waits – and Growing Frustration
According to data cited by councillors, test availability at Sunderland DTC now involves waits of over six months.
Every Monday morning, thousands of learners log into the DVSA booking system, refreshing their browsers at 6AM, hoping for cancellations that vanish in seconds.
We’ve seen this pattern on the Rated Driving platform too. Demand surges in cycles, often when schools or colleges break up – and with limited regional test capacity, the system simply can’t keep up.
For instructors, the pressure is immense. Lessons can’t be planned effectively without confirmed test dates, and learners often lose focus or confidence during long delays.
And for those without the funds or flexibility to travel to neighbouring towns, the opportunity to learn at all can feel out of reach.
Economic and Environmental Costs
The council motion also highlighted an often-overlooked dimension: the environmental impact of the closure.
Each week, hundreds of learners now drive dozens of extra miles to Sunderland and back for lessons and tests. Multiply that by thousands of candidates each year, and the additional emissions are substantial.
Then there’s the financial burden.
Longer drives mean more petrol or diesel costs.
Lessons now include travel time to unfamiliar test routes.
Some instructors have increased their hourly rates to cover these added expenses.
Cllr Ernest Gibson, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, summed it up:
“It’s about reducing carbon emissions, it’s about employment and people’s future. I think it’s imperative we have the test centre back.”
He’s right – the argument for reopening isn’t just about convenience. It’s about sustainability.
The DVSA’s Position
So far, the DVSA has acknowledged the record-high waiting lists – with more than 668,000 tests currently booked nationwide – and confirmed ongoing recruitment drives for examiners.
But it has no current plans to reopen closed centres, including South Shields.
That position, in our view, deserves revisiting.
The DVSA already owns the South Shields facility. It remains structurally sound, requires minimal investment to restore, and could quickly boost local capacity. Reopening it would be one of the fastest, most cost-effective interventions available.
As Cllr Dean noted, “It would make sound economic sense to utilise this government asset.”
In other words: why build new when you can reopen what already works?
A Ripple Effect on Instructors
For driving instructors, access to a local test centre is essential for maintaining efficient diaries.
Without one, instructors in South Tyneside are forced to:
Spend longer travelling to Sunderland for mock tests and route familiarisation.
Compete for limited test slots shared with Sunderland’s own instructors.
Face cancellations when learners struggle to make early-morning test appointments in another town.
The impact is measurable: instructors lose income, learners lose momentum, and the backlog persists.
At Rated Driving, we’ve seen instructor availability in the North East fluctuate dramatically since the South Shields closure. Demand from learners far exceeds local teaching capacity – a clear signal that infrastructure hasn’t kept pace.
Accessibility and Opportunity
Driving is more than a skill; it’s a lifeline.
As Green Party councillor Sue Stonehouse noted, “Some employers require applicants to hold a licence.”
That means driving can be the difference between employability and exclusion – particularly in areas with limited public transport like parts of South Tyneside.
When access to lessons and tests becomes harder, it doesn’t just delay independence – it limits opportunity.
Young people can’t take certain jobs, shift workers struggle to reach late-night roles, and those caring for family lose flexibility.
A reopened South Shields DTC would restore a critical link in that mobility chain.
The Case for a National Review
While South Shields is campaigning locally, it highlights a national need for reform.
The DVSA’s estate strategy – focused on consolidation – made sense when test demand was stable. But post-pandemic Britain is different.
Learner numbers are higher, examiner shortages are ongoing, and electric-vehicle testing requirements are evolving.
It’s time for a national review of test centre capacity, focused on:
Re-evaluating recently closed sites.
Identifying regions where travel distances exceed 10 miles for the nearest test centre.
Quantifying the carbon impact of current travel patterns.
Exploring temporary “pop-up” or shared-facility centres to increase throughput.
The South Shields campaign could – and should – be the catalyst for that review.
Rated Driving’s Position
At Rated Driving, we support any initiative that improves access, fairness, and efficiency in the UK’s driving test system.
Reopening South Shields DTC would:
Reduce waiting times across the North East.
Cut travel costs for learners and instructors.
Lower emissions from unnecessary travel.
Support examiner recruitment and retention, by creating more local roles.
Revitalise the local economy, from cafes and garages to driving schools.
This is what “levelling up” looks like in practice – turning a dormant government asset into an engine of opportunity.
A Message to the DVSA and the Department for Transport
The national backlog is not a temporary glitch – it’s a structural bottleneck. Recruiting more examiners is a good start, but without physical capacity to host more tests, those examiners have nowhere to work.
Reopening centres like South Shields would instantly increase throughput, ease regional pressure, and demonstrate tangible progress toward reducing wait times.
The infrastructure already exists. The need is undeniable. The community support is overwhelming.
From our perspective at Rated Driving, there’s only one question left:
What’s stopping us from turning the key?
