When the government appealed last year for heavy goods vehicle drivers to get back into the cab to relieve the acute shortages of fuel and food, army veterans and many who had quit their jobs responded. The government ordered the DVLA to issue licences as a priority. Since then, however, thousands of other drivers have been thwarted by a culture of indolence, indifference and apathy at the national vehicle licensing agency. During the first lockdown, more than half of the 6,200 staff were sent home on paid special leave. In nine of the past 24 months, more than 500 staff were either on special paid leave or on strike. They were not there to process licence applications. They were not there to answer the phones. Drivers across the country were grounded.
Tons of applications piled up at the Swansea office. Some 60,000 pieces of post arrive each day. But few extra emergency staff were brought in. Union leaders insisted on coronavirus limits to staff numbers that were stricter even than government and healthcare guidance. By September the backlog had built up to some 1.6 million application forms and original identification documents.
Frustrated drivers, including care workers, invalids, and those driving lorries and emergency vehicles, were unable to find out what was happening. Calls were automatically cut off or were answered by call handlers struggling to cope with the influx of complaints. Some were instructed to tell drivers that the wait would be six to ten weeks even though many would wait longer. Even MPs proved unable to sort out the mess.
An investigation by The Times, using an undercover reporter to document the mayhem, has revealed toxic industrial relations at the DVLA. The Public and Commercial Services union, representing the staff, argued that the offices had not been made Covid-secure and that infections were well above average. It took action, leading to 58 days of industrial action over almost six months last year. On some days more than 1,000 staff were on strike, adding some 400,000 cases to the backlog. Even as the Covid rules in Wales were relaxed the union insisted on restrictions limiting staff numbers.
The DVLA was one of the first government agencies to be set up outside London, intended to showcase automation as a way of speeding up its work and reducing bureaucracy. Online applications, now the majority, have mostly gone through smoothly. But there are still large numbers that cannot be computer-processed, sent in by older drivers, those with particular needs or falling into categories not covered by online options.Without a licence, many cannot get insurance or permission to drive. Some disabled drivers have become almost prisoners in their homes.
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The situation is a disgrace. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has promised a swift investigation. The DVLA says it understands the impact the delays have had, but has tried to blame the NHS for not dealing with medical issues during the pandemic. This is a lame excuse. It is, sadly, typical of local bureaucracy and government departments that have tried to pare back costs and rely on inadequate computer systems. Trying to sort out almost any problem has become a Kafkaesque nightmare of circular ring-arounds.
A driving licence is essential to the livelihood of millions. The present blockage is a shameful and unnecessary hold-up to all attempts to recover from the pandemic. It must be resolved now.
