- This topic has 37 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 3 days, 5 hours ago by
.
- Topic
i have put my thoughts into a letter to my mp and others.i am sure others will have other ideas and may not agree with what ive said. but here goes.
Demonisation of Motability and the disabled
I am writing to express my personal disappointment of not just the government but all
politicians and the press of the treatment of Motability and the disabled.
The politicians and press have critised the fact that the disabled have been able to
lease “luxury” cars such as BMWs, Mercedes, Audi and alpha Romeo using the leasing
company Motability claiming they are being subsidised etc etc.
Mixed in with that is general hate towards the disabled claiming drunks, addicts and
people with various depression illnesses are getting cars free.
Firstly let me explain how Motability operations the car leasing company works as
opposed to Motability the charity as many politicians and even the press don’t appear
to understand the basics.
First and foremost, Motability do not decide who can and can’t lease a car that is down
to the department of work and pensions.
Anyone that is awarded the mobility component of pip/afip etc or war pensions in my
case can lease a car and the mobility component will be paid directly to Motability
rather than the claimant. This is the main attraction for many like me that can’t get
private finance or a private lease due to credit rating etc.
Motability will negotiate with manufacturers a discounted price of a particular vehicle
then takes away the 3 years allowance and estimate the residual value of that vehicle
and adds on the estimated servicing and insurance the remainder becomes the
advance payment paid by the claimant.
So for example my current car a Nissan juke would have been calculated roughly as
follows. Cost of car £23215 less wpms 72x52x3=11232 less residual value 11352 leaves
631 as the ap paid by me. Now within that Motability would have negotiated a discount
with Nissan so the purchase price would be less which will allow for insurance and
servicing etc and the residual price will be variable depending on mileage and condition
but i would imagine after all these years they have a decent idea of what they will get
back certainly more than ive estimated.
As you can see there is no subsidy other than the vat exemption the price shown is the
list price less vat but i am sure there would be a discount negotiated. Also the residual
price is low as current price of 3-year-old jukes is more than that so my vehicle alone
will generate a profit.
Regarding the “luxury cars” with the discounts they get and the strong residuals of
those brands i would be amazed if the profits on those brands aren’t even higher so
again claims of subsidised cars is bogus.
The furore about Motability has purely been about the optics and playing up to the
reform knuckle draggers and presenting labour as being tough on those gaming the
system. But Motability have no control over who gets to lease a car so long as a person
has been awarded the appropriate mobility allowance for whatever reason they are
allowed to lease a car.
Regarding awards of the various Motability components are there individuals gaming
the system like any government allowance there will be those exploiting weaknesses in
the system. Particularly in these days of computers and ai being used to vet
applications rather than face to face medical practioners it doesn’t take long for people
to find workarounds and ways of fooling the system. But that is for the dwp to sort out
and they need a root and branch sorting out along with changes to the law and rules of
pip etc as at the moment some of the “ailments” getting the mobility supplements are a
joke.
The problem with this is that minority are used as a very large club with which to beat
the disabled. Politicians etc don’t seem to appreciate the issues this causes. I am
regularly abused parking in disabled bays. Individuals parking in disabled bays entirely
legally but in any high end car get abused and regularly you see the knuckle draggers
spouting on social media about range rovers parking with a blue badge not realising that
the blue badge has nothing to do with Motability range rovers i don’t think have ever
been on Motability.
Rachael from customer services has stoked this furore about luxury cars etc to justify
adding vat to ap’s and ipt which even at that level will take some out of being able to
afford even Motability. It has felt the last few weeks that as a disabled person i am not
just even appreciated but hated in some quarters even scared at times, if i go out now i
try to avoid disabled bays to avoid being abused which of course increases my pain
levels.
I am due to renew my lease in may 26 but i am seriously considering not going there to
avoid the abuse.
Fortunately, as i can place an order on 28 feb i will avoid the vat introduction as that is
scheduled for June, i will just have to hope whatever car if i order isnt late.
But to give you an example one car i am considering is the Citroen c3 air cross which
has an ap now on wpms of 546 now i am pushing to afford that it’s at the very top of my
affordability. Under the new rules there will be an ipt charge and vat assuming the ipt
will be approx £60 per annum (insurance quotes for me come in around 500) so 180 for
the lease plus 20%vat on 546 is 109.20 a new ap of 835.20. That i can’t get near.
Even now due to my spine, knee and neck issues there are few cars i can comfortably
get in and out of currently 840 cars on Motability for me that comes down to maybe 6
cars i can afford. The luxury cars are of no interest as the ap’s are way out of reach but if
a mobility recipient has a well paid job or other income maybe from a partner why
shouldn’t they be able to lease a better car so long as they are paying the extra costs
themselves?
The new rules will at least halve the cars i can afford and at the same time reduce the
trim level i can get which will increase my pain levels. Nice to haves such as heated
seats, steering wheel electric seats, cameras, electric tail gates will not be available on
the lower trims. All make a huge difference to driving for me.
I thought i should let you know even a small part of how the current situation affects
those of us that are disabled and use the Motability scheme. You should note that not
everyone that receives mobility supplements uses Motability i think its less than 30%.
But they still get the abuse even though they sourced any car they drive themselves.
I am seriously considering handing my car back in May and just getting the allowance
paid to me and stay housebound until i can save enough to get my own car. How much
will that save the government?
You should ask Rachael from customer services to spell out the savings that removing
the “luxury” cars have made for the government. I will hazard a guess at zero.
It’s worth noting that the BMWs and mercs that were available on the scheme were
what’s called poverty specs basic models the manufacturer produces to hit targets but
aren’t bought by normal customers, the base sports rather than the m series that real
customers buy. Many of the better brands use Motability as a means of getting rid of
surplus stock at knockdown prices so Motability i wager make a tidy sum on these.
Do some homework get the numbers from Motability not the treasury i think you will be
surprised.
I am a usually resilient person being ex-military and of course when the abusers find
that out its all oh we didn’t mean you we support the military blah blah.the last 3
months have been hell for anyone in my position bombarded from all directions and no
one not even Motability has put their heads over the wall to defend us. Motability i guess
were threatened to keep quiet, or she would remove the vat exemption entirely.
It wouldn’t surprise me if someone takes their own life over this i have to confess ive
been there. You people need to consider what you unleash when you make unfounded
often false statements in parliament and in the press. It has an effect not always good.
Yours faithfully
Kevin mitchell
- Replies
Cannot comment on Labour or the Tories, but what shred of evidence you have about Reform, hating disabled people? As a paying member of Reform I never ever met such a hostility.
Check out what Lee Anderson, prominent Reform UK MP has said. He doesn’t see why you need a proper car and wants to see a return to invalid carriages, a modern version of the Invacar. I’d say that’s pretty hostile towards disabled people.
Have you heard Tice’s comments around children with ear defenders?
Farage finally confirms: A Reform UK government would slash spending on disability benefits
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
Cannot comment on Labour or the Tories, but what shred of evidence you have about Reform, hating disabled people? As a paying member of Reform I never ever met such a hostility. An opposite is true. The fact we have issues with Motability is that too many people, young people, are claiming now mental health related benefits. It is unsustainable and personally I would send them first to volunteer at Blesma for a period of at least 6 months. Just to face some reality.
This is 30p Lee for you – All gob and no clue on the benefits system, as seen by Farage when quoting the system.
There is a simple reason whar Reform didn’t take Wales Caerphilly.
Cannot comment on Labour or the Tories, but what shred of evidence you have about Reform, hating disabled people? As a paying member of Reform I never ever met such a hostility.
Check out what Lee Anderson, prominent Reform UK MP has said. He doesn’t see why you need a proper car and wants to see a return to invalid carriages, a modern version of the Invacar. I’d say that’s pretty hostile towards disabled people.
You can ignore the article, but read the comments to gain the gist of what Reform voters think of an amputee
Sent from a mobile device.
Apologies for briefness and spelling mistakes.Motability Skoda Enyaq SportLine 85x April 2024 (unhappy customer - Ombudsman pending)
Motability Mazda CX-60 July 2023 (unhappy customer - early termination on mechanical grounds)
Motability VW Touran Family Pack May 2019 (happy customer)@kdwolf How do you know that everyone who comments on a GB News website is a Reform UK voter? Besides, even if they were, they won’t be the people running the country and making the decisions that affect us – that will be the MPs like Lee Anderson. You can ignore it if you like, but he doesn’t agree with any disabled people getting Motability cars. He thinks that invalid carriages should make a come back and be given to those with serious physical disabilities. That told me all I needed to know about the lack of intellect of those in Reform UK who are hoping to lead us and make the decisions after the next election, which is a shame as I agree with some of their other policies.
@kdwolf How do you know that everyone who comments on a GB News website is a Reform UK voter? Besides, even if they were, they won’t be the people running the country and making the decisions that affect us – that will be the MPs like Lee Anderson. You can ignore it if you like, but he doesn’t agree with any disabled people getting Motability cars. He thinks that invalid carriages should make a come back and be given to those with serious physical disabilities. That told me all I needed to know about the lack of intellect of those in Reform UK who are hoping to lead us and make the decisions after the next election, which is a shame as I agree with some of their other policies.
They have policies apart from Immigration? I’d love to hear this…
Yes I agree. For starters one has to get 10 points for the mobility conponent to qualify for motability. I struggle to see how this could be achieved exclusivly from claiming anxiety and depression.
Its easy for those in charge to criticise youngsters for suffering with mental health. But perhaps they need to take a long hard look at themselves and show some honesty on how their policies have contributed to so many youngeters suffering now days. Its always easy to point the finger of blame. But as the saying goes, for every finger pointed, 3 fingers are pointing back.
I thought it was 12
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
They have policies apart from Immigration? I’d love to hear this…
You just hit the nail on the head!
The reason why Reform didn’t take Caerphilly or would take England/Wales is simple. Whils’t migration and to some extent thee EU are seen as big issues, there are far more pressing issues affecting peoples day to day lives, that Reform don’t have the answer.
Here’s my thoughts on the invacar nonsense.
Motability is the largest lease company in the country, with some 800k leases suddenly ceased, whether at the end of lease or immediately, there will be a vast gap between car sales this year and the year after this was introduced. Manufacturers would see a massive drop in customers, sales would plummet and there’d be quite a number of redundancies as Motability specialists were no longer needed and couldn’t be absorbed into the mainstream sales team. It’s bad enough with how many BMW/Audi/Mercedes specialists have gone just through the current policy of envy.
The Invacar was withdrawn then recalled due to safety concerns. To build an equivalent now that met current safety standards (5* rating) would mean that the cheap solution would be £25k+ unless it had to be electric, in which case you’re probably looking at £40k ish for a decent range. Then there’s the whole need for design and development, beyond the work done to date by Motability for their own car, this will be years of work, to get to the point of a fully tested and safe mobility car, even if rushed, would be 3-5 years and who’s funding that?
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
They have policies apart from Immigration? I’d love to hear this…
Current car: MG HS Exclusive in nice shiny black. 🙂
Here’s my thoughts on the invacar nonsense. Motability is the largest lease company in the country, with some 800k leases suddenly ceased, whether at the end of lease or immediately, there will be a vast gap between car sales this year and the year after this was introduced. Manufacturers would see a massive drop in customers, sales would plummet and there’d be quite a number of redundancies as Motability specialists were no longer needed and couldn’t be absorbed into the mainstream sales team. It’s bad enough with how many BMW/Audi/Mercedes specialists have gone just through the current policy of envy. The Invacar was withdrawn then recalled due to safety concerns. To build an equivalent now that met current safety standards (5* rating) would mean that the cheap solution would be £25k+ unless it had to be electric, in which case you’re probably looking at £40k ish for a decent range. Then there’s the whole need for design and development, beyond the work done to date by Motability for their own car, this will be years of work, to get to the point of a fully tested and safe mobility car, even if rushed, would be 3-5 years and who’s funding that?
I can see Reliant making a comeback😂
My first car was a Reliant 3 wheeler CCR 30C it was the deluxe version with chrome surround on the amp meter. I was giving some stick through some S bends, I looked in my rear view mirror, the local single decker bus was on my tail.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.