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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is a good deal and we should take the money

191 replies

TastingTheRainbow · 23/08/2015 18:04

Been struggling to decide this all day so hoping you can help.

My son has special needs and will be starting at a special needs high school in September that's 35 miles away (40 minutes in no traffic).

He is entitled to travel assistance as this is the closest school that could accommodate him and we have not sent him so far away by choice, plus we are a low income family. We thought this would be via a taxi but have had a letter saying if we transport him ourselves the LA will pay us £6800 a year.

That seems an unbelievable amount of money! My quick sums have calculated that with that money we could buy a car (we would need a second car as I take the only one to work), insure it and keep it on the road, cover the petrol cost required for the journey and still have money left over. Plus we then have the convieneve of two cars full time which we really need just can't afford.

If we say no to the money they will organise a taxi. This will be more inflexible however and will pick up at a set time, only waiting for 2 minutes, and can't be changed if he has after school clubs etc. We would then need to collect anyway.

AIBU to think that while it will may be a PITA to do the school run that far every day the money they are offering makes it the better option?

In the interest of fairness I should say it would be my partner not me doing the school run as I work full time and she dosnt. I have said it is her choice to decide however, she just thinks I may be missing the 'catch' somehow.

OP posts:
junebirthdaygirl · 24/08/2015 08:36

Also 25 miles is a half hour drive so 2 hours a day. We calculated our car costs 20p per mile so 25 p will cover it.

rachelbird · 24/08/2015 08:44

DS has ASD and goes to a SN school over an hour away. Our LA offered mileage for parents transporting their own dc but we were also offered a private taxi and escort, which is the option I took. I know the taxi option costs far more than they would have paid in mileage but the school is the nearest suitable school for DS and the LA were obliged to provide transport.

It's a bit inconvenient sometimes having to always ensure we meet the taxi (I have to be at home to meet DS even though he's 15 and is responsible/able enough to stay at home alone for a short period) but it's still far better than committing to years of transporting him back and forth to school every day. It would take chunks of time out of my weekdays, which I've sometimes had to use for appointments, hospital treatments, attending college and simply chores/errands/catching up with friends, which I have to get done when DS is at school so I can focus attention on him when he's at home (am a single mum so it all falls on me). DS is happy with his escort and driver (escort has been the same for the past 4 years though the driver has changed) and they allow him to eat in the car as it's a long journey. Sometimes they've been stuck in traffic and taken two hours to get home so I'd really have to allow for that if I were driving, and I'd have almost no time to myself if I did a return trip both ways. I'd be thinking more about quality of life than the cost of the car/mileage etc.

Keeptrudging · 24/08/2015 08:48

I think it makes sense, even if only for a year. It will probably give your child an easier transition into secondary, taxis can be stressful particularly when sharing with other children. I would also be looking at what kind of facilities/groups/classes etc there are in the place your wife would be driving to. Are there things there that she could do on some days to cut down on the driving e.g. swimming/community education courses/decent supermarket?

Icimoi · 24/08/2015 08:52

It's not 25 miles twice a day, it's 50 - there and back: i.e. a total of 500 miles a week. It still means the LA should be paying £8550 using the 45p per mile basis.

AngelaRipp0n · 24/08/2015 09:08

I think you should take the offer, but re think your approach to buying a car. If I were you I'd have a look at the local new car showrooms and see who is doing zero deposit PCP deals. You get a brand new car that you pay monthly for, someone said up thread that there one around for £100 per month, that's only £1200 per year so not much more than you've budgeted for with the advantage of reliability. If you find after a year that you don't want to carry on then you simply take the car back.

Mrsderekshepard · 24/08/2015 09:13

I would give it a go for the first year. You can get lots of cheap cars that are fantastic just do your research. A low engine and regularly maintained should be fine. New cars are not all that in my opinion.

Iamnotloobrushphobic · 24/08/2015 09:14

Those £100 per month new car deals usually only allow 5 to 6000 miles annually so would be no use to the OP given the distance to school.

grapejuicerocks · 24/08/2015 09:16

But someone above also pointed out that there are often mileage limits on those kinds of deals. Would need checking out.

I think the op also said their credit rating isn't good, so a family member would need to loan them the money upfront for a car/repairs.

Mrsderekshepard · 24/08/2015 09:18

Have you looked into what type of car you could get with £1000 it's very surprising what you can get for that price and some not that old.

plantsitter · 24/08/2015 09:35

I wouldn't do it. Your partner will get home at 10 and have to leave again at 2. Drudgeville imo. However if you can try it for a year you should. By the way, the council letter sounds like they are really trying to convince you so I reckon it's a massive saving for them! Perhaps you could haggle (I would never dare).

Spartans · 24/08/2015 09:39

The think is if you take it this year. You will need to keep doing it or you can't afford to keep the second car that you need.

I would spend more on a car this year and put some of the spare away for repairs. Then next year when you don't have to buy the car, our a little more away incase the car needs replacing.

Remember that a car can get through its mot and still break or something can go wrong that's too expensive to fix.

But if you keep some of the spare for emergency or to replace it you should be ok.

Original poster
TastingTheRainbow · 24/08/2015 14:46

Thanks for all the advice. Phones the LA today to turn down the offer and they immediately upped it!! I didn't even ask just said that it would be too expensive for us. Anyway they have offered the 45p a mile which was around £8000 a year, wrote the exact amount down somewhere.

So thought I had made a decision and then they throw a spanner in the works! They did laugh when I told them I would consult mumsnet and get back to them.

It now works out at just over £2000 per payment. So I could use the first £2000 for a car and spread the insurance payments and the remaining payments would go to fuel.

Definitely more tempting now! I keep asking DP if she's SURE she can do that amount of driving because it's going to be a huge commitment!

OP posts:
Iamnotloobrushphobic · 25/08/2015 13:09

I think you need to bear in mind the tax implications of being paid 45p per mile for that many miles. There is a limit on how many miles you can be paid at 45p per mile before the excess is treated as income and is taxable. I think the limit is either £5000 or 10,000 miles (I can't remember which but a quick google will tell you). After you reach the limit mileage should only be paid at 25p per mile to avoid it being treated as income and subject to tax. I would also imagine that any mileage treated as taxable will also impact on tax credits or other benefits.

Iamnotloobrushphobic · 25/08/2015 13:10

To add: the original offer might have been 45p per mile up to the tax free limit and 25p per mile for the excess (I haven't calculated it).

hannibalismisunderstood · 25/08/2015 13:46

I would go for it and encourage your partner to try and find a part time job close to (or in the school) for during the day to negate the need for return journeys.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 25/08/2015 13:49

I would check the tax implications, as Iamnot suggests.

It does look as if you have looked at the wider cost implications of owning a second car - the only unpredictable element is the MOT and servicing costs every year.

If you decide to go ahead with this, I would suggest using the initial payment to get the car, and finance the upfront costs, then finance the ongoing petrol costs from the subsequent payments, but I would NOT spend any of the excess until the end of the year, when you would be looking to MOT/Service the car.

If you've saved up all the money you haven't needed for purchasing the car, insurance, road tax and petrol, into a contingency fund, you ought to have enough in there to cover any nasty surprises from the MOT and service.

Once you'd had the car serviced and MOTd for the next year, whatever was left would be your profit on the year.

Pico2 · 25/08/2015 13:50

Not wanting to be the voice of doom, but do make sure you have a plan for paying for repairs, even on a £2k car. Also make sure you'd get a hire car in case of accidents that covers the whole repair time (even if you're at fault).

BackforGood · 25/08/2015 13:53

No t sure why people worrying about tax - if OP's dp isn't working, then she won't be paying tax will she?

Pico2 · 25/08/2015 13:54

I also wonder what their top offer would be.

BikketBikketBikket · 25/08/2015 14:04

I commuted 23 miles each way to work for years. This offer does seem good (if your partner is prepared to do the driving) but from my experience you do need to take out AA or RAC cover at a high(ish) level, to cover you by providing a replacement car in the event of breakdown or accident - this will prevent your partner and son from being stranded in the event of a breakdown, and will also cover the cost of towing the car to a garage (which can otherwise cost quite a bit).

You might also think about pricing up car hire charges and saving a little from each payment, so that if your car is in the garage for lengthy repairs, you are still able to get your son to school.
Sorry if this sounds gloomy, but I was so, SO glad of my AA cover on quite a few occasions over the years - the peace of mind was well worth the cost Smile

Iamnotloobrushphobic · 25/08/2015 14:09

No t sure why people worrying about tax - if OP's dp isn't working, then she won't be paying tax will she?

She plans to get a job. But even if she doesn't get a job the excess mileage amount will be technically taxable and therefore counted as income and will need to be declared to the tax credit office (or on any other benefit claims).
Any benefits affected by income will be affected by excess mileage payments.
Losing benefit income might not make the increased mileage offer worthwhile.

RandomSocks · 25/08/2015 14:14

I would take the offer, provided your DP is happy with the driving commitment. It will be better for your son to have extra "car time" with mummy, rather than taxi time, if your DP is happy to spend the time that way.

Once you are sorted out with another car and she has worked out the new routine, she will perhaps find something useful to do that doesn't necessarily involve going home every day.

Lots of good advice on this thread about cars and insurance, as well as checking the exact journey times at rush hour.

Iamnotloobrushphobic · 25/08/2015 14:18

From the HMRC website:

Mileage allowance payments which do not exceed the approved amount for each kind (calculated by multiplying the business miles in that kind of vehicle by these rates) are not counted as income. Where mileage allowance payments are paid in excess of the approved amount, the excess is counted as income.

It doesn't matter that the OPs wife won't actually be paying tax, the mileage payments received over the allowed amount are treated as income and will therefore affect tax credits.
It's a bit like if somebody only earns £7000 per year they won't pay income tax but the £7000 will still need to be included as income on a benefit claim.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 25/08/2015 14:21

Pico - unexpected repairs/bills is why I suggested only spending what she has to on the car, and keeping all the money over and above that in a contingency fund.

Also, if she buys a £2K car, and it needs more than £2K of repairs, she could look at scrapping it and replacing it, if she has the money in contingency.