Single centre for 0-licences?
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by Karen Miles • A central system for processing Operator Licences will be considered this month when the review of the Traffic Area Offices begins in earnest.
It is to be carried out by Stephen Curtis—the man who as chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency cut more than 1,000 regional posts. The review has already raised fears among senior TAO staff, Senior Licensing Authority Ronald Ashford says cowboy operators would gain from any loss of regional control: "A centralised system could lose a lot of valuable local liaison with the enforcement agencies," he says.
Curtis must also present ministers with a plan if centralisation is not pursued. It is expected this would result in the closure of at least some of the eight TAOs in England, Scotland and Wales.
Over the next four or five months Curtis will study methods of improving the efficiency of the TAOs and their 420 staff.
By the end of the year the workload of the TAOs should be reduced with the introduction of continuous operator licensing. The Department of Transport has also ordered 20% efficiency improvements.