1 week Ago
A Calne resident contacted Sarah Gibson MP after facing ongoing issues with the system, including repeated website crashes and disappearing test slots. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has blamed the backlog on the COVID-19 pandemic, which happened five years ago. After communicating with the Department for Transport (DfT), Ms Gibson revealed only 2,859 practical driving tests were available at the Chippenham Test Centre in a 24-week period starting from March 31, 2025.
Read more: Plans approved to turn Marlborough gas site into flats The Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham said: "Like my constituent, and on behalf of all learner drivers across my constituency, I am deeply frustrated with the driving test backlog." The DfT has announced plans to recruit 450 new driving examiners nationally, but in the government’s response to Ms Gibson, they confirmed only two vacancies are currently available in the whole of Wiltshire. Ms Gibson added: "Whilst I welcome steps to improve the situation, this is too little, too late.
"More of my constituents are falling behind due to a broken booking system.".
