To think this is a fair change to the Motability scheme...

[BusyBumbling]

BBC News - 'Premium' cars like BMW and Mercedes cut from Motability scheme
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9znkxq47xo

It's still supporting disabled people with the cost of owning a car whilst also supporting the British car industry. I think public opinion has been listened to on both sides and this seems very sensible.
It may also reduce some of the costs of the grants paid from the scheme which were helping fund the upfront cost for premium cars for poorer claimants.

As someone whose child gets disability payment i do think DLP/PIP etc should be means tested. Why not just do it via the UC system already in place. They can have a much higher earning threshold if needed. It seems ridiculous to me that you could be earning 1m but still get dosability benefits.

Incidently people on UC do get their payments monitored. I had a review recently, and it's now common to happen annually. They review 3 months of bank statements and then interview you. I had to explain lots of regular payment on my accounts as well as a bunch of individual payments. They check you aren't buying assets, moving money to other people etc

I wonder if they could extend the change over period to four/five years or x number of miles? Would that save money?

Disabled people should only be allowed to drive a Robin Reliant.. how dare they want to spend thier money on something nice …

The person claiming PIP will still get exactly the same amount of money so I don't see how it's going to make any savings.

If I was prime minister this would be the first thing I'd do. Find a way to means test absolutely everything we hand out. It's such a lazy response they give 'it's too expensive'. Imagine how much money we would save in the long term if we found a way, (if we haven't already!).

If some people had their way,all disabled people would be living in workhouses.

The easiest way of means testing benefits is to tax them. There could be a higher threshold.

Then, if you are earning £1 million but have a disability that's serious enough to warrant a Motability car you'd pay tax on it.

Many people use their PIP to help them keep working - including having a suitable vehicle to get there there.

So if we means test it and someone who is working is just over that limit so loses their PIP which means they can’t work anymore who benefits exactly?

PIP is designed to cover some of the additional costs of being disabled. They exist for those who are working aswell as those who aren’t!

The advance payment is paid by the claimant and is non refundable. It’s not covered by a grant.

The grants are for adaptations. Separate thing completely

This won't save any money but if it shuts up the spiteful and the hard-of-reading, I'm all for it.

What British Car Industry? Jaguar-Land Rover Indian owned, Mini owned by BMW, Toyota & Nissan Japanese, companies that manufacture/assemble here to access other markets, or they did until Brexit.. If you want British cars you're talking Aston Martin, Morgan, Roll Royce, McClaren hardly cars available to Motability

I think we need to put into perspective how much someone actually gets from PIP. It's less than £800 max. The means testing threshold would be £60k of similar to CB. Children cost a lot more than £800 a month and the government has decided people who earn £60K can absorb this cost. Why wouldn't the same logic apply to disability? Surely we should move to a position where everyone is as self sustaining as possible?

Disabled people can still spend their own money on something nice, same as non-disabled. No-one has taken that choice away, they've just said it shouldn't be subsidised by the taxpayer as it's a luxury not a neccesity. The scheme should be to help disabled with the additional costs of an adapted vehicle or to help fund a standard vehicle if their disability means they otherwise couldn't afford a car. It's not there to provide subsidised luxury items.

@twolittles not according to the scheme's website.

I hope those people so gleeful at taking away from disabled people remember that everyone is just one accident or illness away from disability.

https://www.scope.org.uk/campaigns/disability-price-tag

and for most people the PIP they receive doesn’t cover the actual costs of disability.

You’re right actually it says there are a small number of means tested grants and only for cost effective vehicles. Which seems totally fair ?

Honestly, I'm getting really fed up of stupid responses like this. If anyone tries to scrutinies or question benefits to disabled people or the elderly, it's the same 'YOU WANT US ALL DEAD' cry.

It's the disabled person who is subsidising a "luxury" car. Read the thread.
Or read this thread which already exists.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/politics/5449828-luxury-cars-removed-from-the-motability-scheme?page=8&reply=148763811

This is just the politics of envy and saves the government no money.

Why should the models and makes be limited. Surely it's up to the person involved what they want to pay. All it is is a glorified leasing scheme

Smacks a bit of of sour grapes.

@Marshmallow4545
If disability benefits ought to be, as you seem to think, means-tested and if they were it’s unlikely to affect that particular charity much, if at all.
But aside from that, the additional costs of disability are extensive and far-ranging.
Im not disabled but my daughter is and I know I’ve engaged with you on other threads about disability benefits.
Here are some of the additional costs that may apply to someone who is disabled- but obviously not to all that won’t usually apply to non-disabled people.
Slings to use in hoists
Adapting a house - building specific bathrooms, bedrooms, installing hoists, widening doorways, building ramps, (often partially funded) but not always completely funded.
Feeding aids - from spoons and cups to bibs.
Wheelchairs- if a person can self-propel at all they will not qualify for a powered wheelchair (some may use Motability for this).
Covers for wheelchair users
Specific food
Transport costs to frequent hospital appointments.
Loss of a salary wholly or partially for a partner or parent caring for the disabled person
Incontinence products
Specialist clothing (eg clothing with poppers)
Walking aids
Specialist footwear
Therapy - speech and language, physiotherapy
Carers
Extra electricity usage for running washing machines (disabled people often have an accident as it were), replacement clothing for same reason
Cost of running electric hoists, beds, wheelchairs

What means-testing - if feasible - would add to the pocket of people who for instance need most of those things versus those who need a handful of them is nothing because the government will never grade to increase payments for those who have the greatest costs over those with fewer costs (not least because some conditions worsen or fluctuate) beyond what it already does.

The welfare benefits that exist do so to help cover some costs. For instance (I’m not going into more detail than I need to) your (theoretical, as I don’t know if you have children) 8 year old won’t use incontinence products. Mine will, for life.

She won’t grow up to earn money (as far as I can predict) so I will support her for life.
It is things like the above that carry most of the weight of the benefits as they exist - in other words - were it not for the disability which of the above costs would you incur?

THAT is why the government accords the same amounts to the disabled across the board (despite income) because there is no way around most of those costs that other people simply do not have.

Motability was the 1977 brainchild that allowed some (those qualifying and those choosing to lease) to stop spending excessive amounts on transportation by permitting a leasing scheme that helps control that expense. Imagine if you had to spend (on top of work and school related transportation costs) £30 each way each day for a wheelchair accessible taxi for the one disabled child you had (given the vast range of those about!) or to every hospital appointment (say £60).

Every time I go to Great Ormond Street Hospital it costs me over £120. That doesn’t come from DLA by the way.

And with the savings from a few disabled people losing benefits.. the government would give it to..? Defence? Non-disabled children (whose parents can work and don’t incur additional costs through disability)?

yup yawn.

But if they're using a normal car to get to work, like everyone else in the office, why would they quit? They could just pay for the car from their wage like their colleagues do?

@BusyBumbling
Can you tell us which subsidies are given to Motability?

they are probably using an adapted car.