Driving test centre opening at Stone fire station

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has teamed up with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to set up a new specialist driving test centre at Stone community fire station.

From 2nd November, bus, lorry and car and trailer tests will be taken from the fire station. The move comes after the test centre in Swynnerton was closed in March. It means that trainers in Staffordshire will now benefit from a more convenient local service, saving on fuel costs and travel time.

The Service will invest money paid by the DVSA in rent and running costs into the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Safer Communities Community Interest Company. The CIC aims to tackle issues that can contribute to people becoming less safe such as health, isolation, lifestyle and economic deprivation.

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Rowan Kitton, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service lead in Driver Development and Education, said: “We believe this will be a huge benefit to the communities of Staffordshire and the road haulage industry in general, which has recently been without a local testing facility. Stone is situated in a fairly central part of Staffordshire, making it far more convenient and less time consuming for test candidates to travel to.

“Our ethos is to make Staffordshire the safest place to live and work and our new community fire station at Stone reflects that view. Not only is it fast becoming a hub for local groups and organisations but, with this partnership, it is also supporting businesses across the county and providing much needed employment opportunities.”

DVSA’s Head of Operations Phil Lloyd added: “We are pleased to be working with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service to offer a more local service for vocational testing. This is a great example of how we can work with partners in the public and private sector to provide a service that is convenient as well as being cost effective.”