South-east traffic commissioner Chris Heaps is quitting six months early, in April 2007, upset by what he sees as VOSA's interference. Heaps says VOSA appears to be taking over the role of the TCs, slowly but surely. Most recently, all operator files are to be kept in Leeds and Heaps fears that he will have no means of checking that he has received all the documentation he needs in coming to a conclusion under the present system. He also feels that decisions made in Leeds may not consider all the facts and that unfit operators could be granted an operator's licence.
Also, TCs still have no say in the appointment of their VOSA staff, even though that was a specific recommendation of the Better Regulation Task Force two years ago. Traffic commissioners in England and Wales were to have their own, independent press officer - but that idea was killed off this year. Their press officer sits next to those for VOSA in Bristol and is employed by VOSA. Meanwhile, the DfT appears 
to be in no hurry to recruit replacement for three of the seven traffic commissioners, who retire next spring. Apart from Heaps, David Dixon (Midlands and Wales) and Geoffrey Simms (Eastern) are retiring.
A DfT spokesman tells MT this week: "We expect the job adverts to be published before the end of the year." The same timescale is expected for the TCs annual reports for 2005/6, which are expected to be critical of the DfT and VOSA. Asked if VOSA will be represented on the interview panel for TCs - which would be a first - the DfT says: "The interview panel has not been finalised."