Fancy cars for disabled people

[LemaxObsessive]

Motability.

I am sick to absolute death of seeing people saying on various threads, that Motability vehicles are “given” to us disabled people “for free”.

PIP is awarded in 2 separate elements.

1. Daily Living (day to day care needs etc)
2. Mobility

Each element is paid at different rates depending on how affected by your disability you are (and yes, medical evidence is required). However, to be eligible for Motability, you need to be getting the highest rate of the Mobility element. This is currently £77.05 per week (which works out at £308.20 per 4 weeks or £333.88 per month).

When you join Motability you agree for the DWP to give Motability that £77.05 per week instead of it being paid to your bank. If you also receive the Daily Living element of PIP then you will still receive that directly.

You ALSO, in most cases, have to pay an advance payment (AP) for the vehicle. The better the vehicle, the higher the AP. You do not get the AP back.
The £77.05 per week pays for the lease of the car, insurance, roadside assistance, tyres & windshield cover. Disabled people in receipt of the highest rate of the PIP mobility element are already exempt from road tax.

With regards to the ‘fancy’ cars such as BMW, Audi & Mercedes, as you can imagine all of these have a whopping great AP in the multiple thousands of pounds; Which as I said, you don’t get back.
The taxpayer is not paying a penny towards these vehicles besides the fact that Motability don’t currently pay VAT which I believe is up for discussion.

I think a really important point to make here is that PIP is categorically not means tested (even millionaires can claim it, provided their health meets the criteria) and is not paid to replace a disabled person’s income! In other words, people do not live off PIP instead of working, it is paid to cover the added costs associated with being disabled. Costs non-disabled people likely have never even considered, such as cleaners when we can’t do it, basic gardening when we can’t do it, extra electricity for when medical equipment is used at home, ready meals when we’re bed-bound, delivery charges for every single thing we buy because click & collect isn't possible, taxis to work because the bus always already has a wheelchair user on it, along with lots of other small but mounting costs we have zero choice but to pay because the alternative isn’t an option for us. The lowest rate of PIP is just £29.20 per week so we’re not talking big money!

Millions of PIP claimants work full time but crucially, couldn’t do so without PIP and in many cases, without Motability!

As I said above, even wealthy people are eligible to claim PIP to cover the added costs associated with their disability and they can, if they receive the highest rate of the Mobility Component of PIP choose to use Motability. If they want to spend £7,999 plus £77.05 per week to lease an Audi Q4 for 3 years then they can but not many do because it’s a lot of money to have nothing to show for it after 3 years.

So no, nobody is being ‘given free BMWs, Audis or Mercedes’ regardless of what’s being said by anyone!

I should of done that would of been easier 🙈🤣🤣

@TigerRag
I don’t think the figures are split down by the government publishing the information like that, but I’m not sure. Perhaps they don’t collect figures like that. It I don’t know.

It does not matter how many times the Motability scheme is explained to some posters, they will always take issue with it, as they cannot bear the thought of disabled people, who would have to have a severe disability, in the first place, being able to access a nice car, that those posters feel, they do not deserve. This discussion is just going to go round in circles.

Not all LAs.

My LA explicitly state that siblings at other schools are not a valid reason for requiring transport. I'm expected to get 3 children to 3 different schools in 3 different towns (next to each other though) all starting at 8:30. And pick up at 3:10, 3:15 and 3:35.

No childminders/breakfast clubs/wrap around care for teenagers at special schools so no childcare options.

So what do they expect you to do teleport

Obviously but likewise so is yours that’s just your opinion. That’s why MN exists so that people can share their opinions and thoughts. But I don’t see how anyone can deny that the costs of school transport are a major problem for councils. Not the only problem but certainly one of the biggest and effectively allowing double dipping seems like absolute madness for me unless exceptional circumstances justify it.

A volunteer project I was involved with collapsed because there weren’t enough funds to allow double dipping. We had some people using the service multiple times a week while others couldn’t access it once a week. Our funding was cut and we had meetings about how to continue it. I and some others suggested that we should only allow X to be provided to all current members and that no one should be receiving 3 lots a week when others struggled to get one. Well that wasn’t popular because Fred was used to 3X a week and they all liked Fred. Fred received additional payments to help cover some of the additional costs of a taxi to help him do his shopping but because they liked Fred they refused to admit that it would be more logical for everyone to receive the service just once a week. And guess what it collapsed so Fred doesn’t get any service now, let alone 3x a week. Sometimes hard decisions have to be made to prevent the whole thing from collapsing and no one getting anything.

And that is what it boils down too, I think. Listening to real people, and their stories. The media, are not interested in the truth. They just wish to sell papers, and get clicks online, hence the untruths about the scheme, and the conditions that supposedly can warrant a 'brand new free car'! As many disabled, and careers of disabled people have said, they would prefer not to have those difficulties in their, or their loved ones lives. I think some people are seriously in danger of losing their empathy.

That means a lot, thankyou for being open minded and actually listening to others. You don't see that on the Internet very often its appreciated

Well no im basing my opinion on fact
We have a mobility car for my son, so I know what it can and cannot be.used for
You dont agree with how mobility cars can be used ,but that's just an opnion not a fact.

Turn Nick ferrari off in the mornings, he’s bad for the country’s mental health.

The Human Rights Act Article 4 gives people protection from slavery or forced labour, apart from certain exceptions such as war, emergencies, etc. People can enter into employment contracts, if they want to.

Councils cannot make parents to drive their children to school, as that would be forced labour.

And I am speaking of it as if it is my opinion which it is. I haven’t claimed otherwise but there has been so much scrutiny on the costs of transport, with good reason, that I would not be surprised if the laws regarding it change and that councils change their criteria. It really is not sustainable imo and I think it’s increasingly hard to justify it.

Slavery to take the child you chose to have to school. Fuck me. That is absolutely insane. Next you’ll be complaining about parents being expected to prepare food for them next.

But they can remove all other options so that driving them is the only possible way to get them to school.

I see. I would not say that you were stupid, you were like a lot of people, who may have had no previous experience of knowing some one with a disability etc. I have learned a lot from reading people's experiences on MN. There are a few very candid posters, who painstakingly outline their own, or child's conditions, and how they are affected. Time, and again, they do this, patiently, and eloquently. I take my hat off to them.

God forbid a parent is required to take their DC to school...
I do agree if there is a mobility car available and a parent to do the school run, why isn't that the default option?
Obviously other factors like accessibility to school like distance and safe parking options need to be considered. But generally it's not an inhumane request.

I have a diagnosis of non epileptic seizures.

these days there are diagnostic tests for epilepsy - essentially they try to provoke a seizure and look at the body afterwards and there is characteristic brain activity.

However if you don’t have that brain activity but are clearly having seizures they diagnose you with non epileptic seizures.

this is my diagnosis.

Because the parent is legitimately using the car to go to work
You cant just make the rules up as you go along and then complain because people are breaking your made up rules.

I've already had to stop working to do it. Previously, we used wrap around care but once in specialist secondary, that was no longer an option. My eldest goes to the school I used to teach at which was perfect until I had to quit. Can't move schools as he's y11. School is in the middle of nowhere, no safe walking route, all children are driven in so no options there. Youngest is at a local school 5 min walk. Used to use a childminder but can't afford that now I'm not working.

Council expect DH to also quit work just for the school run. Idiots can't seem to grasp that would cost them a hell of a lot more in benefits!

Currently I drop dc1 at 7:30 and he just has to hang around for an hour. Drop DC2 at the specialist at 8, teacher has kindly agreed to watch her for half an hour, get home and walk dc3. Can't guarantee next year's teacher will offer to watch DC2 in the mornings so will have to rethink next year.

Home time - I've put dc3 in every club going, football, dodgeball, art club... Even though he doesn't want to do all of them. Pick DC2 up at 3:10. DC1 stays to do revision so pick him up later or sometimes a friend offers him a lift and walk to get DC3 after his club. When a club is cancelled he has to sit and wait in the office until I can get there and I get to feel shitty being lectured by the office staff.

You can listen to real people’s stories and still disagree. I am disabled, I have been a carer for family members multiple times, I have been a professional carer and worked in admin jobs relating to such services. I have volunteered and worked in advocacy and helping people fill in forms to claim disability benefits and been a coordinator for a charity providing additional help to disabled people And yet I still think that the system is not fit for purpose.

I’ve struggled to help people spend their money in supported living. Some were so well provided for (And they should be well looked after) that struggled to spend it without hitting the limits. They were much better off financially than the people caring for them. And yet others with disabilities don’t get nearly so much as they need because they or their families don’t know someone in social work and don’t know what to put on the form or don’t have the energy or time to call the council 5x a day until they get what they want.

And I’ve seen the other extreme where families don’t want to spend the money on the person it’s intended for because they see it as their money. I had to ask the parent of a disabled person, who had POA for money to buy a bloody bin for their kitchen because it was cracked and said parent refused to supply one saying that it was a waste of money. Meanwhile said parent was enjoying a lot of holidays and their child was going without the basics. And yes this was reported to management more than once but they don’t want to lose the contract so nothing gets done.

Likewise people running around with blue badges that were intended for their sibling but they never take the sibling out.

There’s a lot of abuse out there and it does sicken you especially the inconsistency. We had clients with full 24 hour support staff receiving places at day care centres and respite when parents who had disabled children still at home were given no respite at all. And people who didn’t meet the criteria for help with particular disabilities being given placements that others who legitimately met the criteria went without because they didn’t have a friend in social services.

And when I say not fit for purpose I don’t just mean that cuts should be made. I think that many changes should be made and that includes things like offering more respite for carers because if it helps to prevent carer burnout then it’s an efficient use of money and not wasting money and causing stress constantly harassing people whose situation clearly will never improve. I can’t claim to have all of the answers but imo reform is badly needed.

I think a lot of people would agree that reform is needed@AutisticAndMore. The Government obviously does not know where to begin though, and what they have proposed sounded retrograde, imo.

Respite etc goes off need though and as you are fully aware disabilities can range from mild to profound
There will be reasons why some families get more respite than others things may have reached crisis point and suddenly agencies become involved and push for all sorts
It doesn't seem fair but sometimes things have to come to a head before families get things they should have had in place.