The Eurorepar Car Service network has given its backing to a petition calling for greater governmental support following the MOT extension last year.
During the first national COVID-19 lockdown, drivers whose annual test fell between 30 March and 31 July were given an extra six months on their deadline date. This led to a dramatic decline in work during these months, and as vehicles have a year from the date of the test itself, the problems could last a number of years.
Many in the trade now believe that if the government does not act decisively with a package of financial support, garages will go out of business and jobs will be lost.
In a bid to apply some pressure and raise awareness of this escalating issue, a petition calling for a support package for 2022 and beyond has been started. In order for the Government to respond to the petition, the motor trade needs to achieve 10,000 signatures, with 100,000 required for the issue to be debated in Parliament.
A number of Eurorepar Car Service Centres have already signed the petition, and now the network is encouraging others in the trade to follow suit.
“The motor trade has endured a tough period since the first lockdown last year,” said Nick Taylor, head of Network & Business Development. “Many garages are struggling to make ends meet, and the effects of the MOT extension are still being felt. As a network, we are completely behind the sector’s push for financial support. I would urge garage owners, technicians and anyone else involved in the motor trade to sign the petition as soon as possible”.
The petition can be found here: petition.parliament.uk
Scale of the problem
The MOT extension led to hundreds of thousands of vehicles to shift the date of their annual check. Despite a DVSA campaign urging drivers to book their test early, many undoubtedly took advantage of the extra time during a period when the economy is still fragile.
Thankfully the extension period did not include one of the busiest months of the year – March – when new cars that are three-years-old require an MOT. However, numbers did fall that month by 44.4%, with just 254,684 vehicles registered.
Things got worse in April with just 4,321 cars sold, down over 97% from the 161,064 the year before. Just 20,247 were sold in May (down 89% from 183,724 in 2019) and in June last year, 34.9% fewer cars left dealerships (145,377 compared to 223,421 in June 2019).
This means that between 1st March and 30 June 2020, 601,364 fewer cars were sold, and in three years time, these vehicles will not be coming into garages for their MOT. In addition, the 3.5 million average tests per month for this time period has drastically reduced. Therefore, the industry will feel the effects of COVID-19 and the MOT extension for years to come.
“It is obvious that garage businesses are going to suffer a noticeable shortage of work during the spring and summer seasons as a result of the six-month MOT extension,” added Gavin Colclough, service manager at Euro Car Care, a member of the Eurorepar Car Service Network. “With the furlough scheme ending in September, I am hugely concerned for the future of jobs and businesses across the sector unless there is some sort of financial support from the Government to act as a safeguard.
“I would therefore urge people to take a stand and sign this petition to help protect our jobs and livelihoods for the future. We need 10,000 signatures for the petition to even be considered so it is of paramount importance that no one is complacent”.
