WHITCHURCH's driving test centre has had the lowest running costs since 2019 compared to rival sites that learner drivers will be expected to use from April.

Figures published after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Whitchurch Herald show that the test centre in Dodington, expected to close in spring to save the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) money, show it costs around £8,000 less than Crewe to operate.

Furthermore, it costs the DVSA more than £290,000 more to run the Shrewsbury test centre compared to Whitchurch's.

Figures for 2021 to 2022 showed the running costs for Whitchurch would be £16,521, £24,602 for Crewe and £290,344 for Shrewsbury.

From 2019 to 2020, the running costs for Whitchurch were £16,430, £27,132 for Crewe and £354,162 for Shrewsbury.

However, the DVSA claimed it was difficult to make a direct comparison with costs because of Shrewsbury hosting services for other than just car tests.

A spokesman said: "Shrewsbury is a multi-purpose test centre (MPTC), while the other two are driving test centres (DTCs).

"Therefore, it is difficult to make a direct comparison as to costs.

"The DVSA currently has 377 mostly leasehold DTCs.

"When most of our DTC network was established, there was no criteria about where they should be.

"Some were close to each other whilst others were further apart.

"In 2005, the then Driving Standards Agency established criteria for sitting car DTCs based on population density."

The DVSA also suggested the centre would require investment if it was not closed, reducing its value for money.

The spokesman added: "Whitchurch test centre is one of a number of driving test centres where the lease is due to end soon or there is another test centre nearby.

"We have identified eight such DTCs which have high running costs or are in poor repair and would require investment if we do not close them.

"It represents poor value for money and there are other centres within distance to travel criteria that can absorb capacity without reducing test capacity or slowing our recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We understand this change may cause an inconvenience for some, but no tests will be cancelled as a result of the closure and the number of tests available locally will stay the same."

Bill Hancock, a driving instructor who has been at the forefront of the campaign to keep the site open, believes it is another blow to services available in Whitchurch.

He said: "Where you have small places like Whitchurch, there are no banks anymore or building societies.

"There is no ambulance station here and the police are very thin on the ground.

"They want everything in a centralised hub.

"What these government departments see are charts and they see graphs."

The centre is on course to be closed on April 10.

Local driving instructors and North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan say they are continuing the fight to keep the centre open.