Government to Shelve MOT Plans
Thursday 02 February 2012 Back to Blog
The UK Government has announced it will not change the MOT testing frequency as originally planned.
The announcement follows a report which highlights that 50,000 jobs in the motor trade would be lost had the annual test be moved to two years. The report was from the organisation Pro-MOTe.
In a statement, Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: "Having listened closely to the very many views put forward and considered the available evidence, I have decided that I am not going to carry out further work in relation to relaxing the first test date or the frequency of testing."
Bill Duffy of Pro-MOTe said: "Reducing the frequency of MOTs would have been dangerous, expensive and unwanted, and we welcome the Government's sensible decision today to drop the idea.
"The proposal to reduce MOT frequency was opposed by organisations across the board, from industry to road safety campaigners to insurance companies and others. Their support for Pro-MOTe and its objective was a major factor in persuading Ministers that the maintenance of annual MOTs was the right way forward.
"We look forward to working with Government on how to make the MOT test better and to ensure consumers receive the best customer service."
The report highlighted that the motor trade employed 38% skilled workers which was far above the national average of 11%. It also showed that many 17 to 24 year olds were about to enter motor trade apprenticeships, which is one demographic particularly affected by the recession.