A garage owner from West Sussex has launched a petition to persuade the government to hold a debate on the issue of support for garages following the disruption caused by the MOT extension last year.
Jonathan Barbara of Parkers MOT in Haywards Heath has published the petition on the parliament website to ‘Provide an action plan and offer support exclusively for the motor trade’.
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Speaking to CAT, Barbara said ‘The problem of garages being quiet for months isn’t a short term one, we have got it for years and years. The normal cycle has been disrupted”.
Barbara made the point that once the furlough scheme comes to an end, the problem of testing becoming almost seasonal work will become apparent to garage owners across the nation.
“The easiest solution would have just been to announce another extension covering the second half of the year, but it’s a bit late for that now” Barbara explained while describing the kind of support he is campaigning for. “So, I’d imagine the government is going to need to subsidise the MOT fee or give some sort of support package for the testers and technicians for at least as long as work picks up again”.
10,000 signatures are needed for an official government response, and 100,000 signitures for a debate in parliament.
You can view Mr. Barbara’s petition here
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