Crazy benefits system need an overhaul

I give up! Darn autocorrect.

Lol sweaters - sweaters!

Yes quite elegran

My son would be dangerous to other road users stuffed in a Nissan micra. The OP should be very grateful there are 7 sweaters on the scheme that allow him to be driven around far from the driver!

It is a pity she didn't hang around long enough to discover that she was talking absolute rubbish & her top of the range cars cost the taxpayer the same as the basic models.

After years of hearing about 'free cars' and being 'lucky' it does become pretty tedious. It's usually from people who wouldn't last 5 minutes with my son and certainly wouldn't swap. Believe me a Renault scenic doesn't make up for a lifetime of severe disability.

Nezumi65 I was trying to make just that point - All that is being "given" to the OP's friend is the same £58 a week that they would receive if they didn't choose to put it towards the cost of renting a car. I repeat the word TOWARDS the cost, they still have to pay a deposit, unless they choose certain models with a zero deposit.

The depth of knowledge on Gransnet always amazes me and allows us to see the reality of issues and not just the surface and judgemental view.

Thank you Nezumi65 for insight into the broader truth of this situation.

What I find sad is that someone posts their opinion on something and is then feels has to leave the discussion because she feels she is being insulted. By all means disagree with her post but there is no need to descend to name calling. She has been described as boasting, called a troll and a "Nu-Kipper". As I posted on another thread the person who resorts to insults has lost the argument

My now adult son has had motability cars since he was 5 years old. There is a lot of misunderstanding here about them - esp from the OP.

Having a motability can is not like owning a car it is equivalent to leasing one. That's why you have the car for 3 years. The advance payments are set by the dealers & depend on how many cars they need to shift. So for 12 years we had scenic. The first lease was a basic model with a £500 advance payment, then a slightly better model for £50 advance payment and then a really top of the range one for zero advance payment. I went back to renew and he advance payment for the basic model was 2.5k so we had to switch cars. But those rates are set by the manufacturers and depend on how much they can sell the car for at the end of the lease and whether or not they want their cars to be visible on the road.

It's market forces that set e cars available - not the government giving lots of money to disabled people to drive Posh cars. It costs the government exactly the same whether someone drives a Ford Fiesta or a BMW on motability or doesn't even get a motability vehicle. Bloody disabled eh? Daring to have manufacturers treating them as people.

In terms of why there is choice - because the manufacturers choose to offer whichever cars they are offering. We struggled to find a suitable car for my son this time as he needs to sit far enough from the he driver that he cannot reach them (I.e a 7 seater) and the car needs to be able to take his harness (so that was the c-max out). Most fitting those criteria had massive advance payments this time round which we/he couldn't afford (& no he can't work a bit harder - he can't speak, probably can't read, can't write and requires 24 hour 2:1 care.)

Yes. A bit suspicious that. I didn't contribute as I wouldn't be saying more than those with direct experience of mobility issues have already said. That '£47,000 Volvo'? Didn't add up at all.

poly asked "who pays your monthly mobility allowance...the tax payer. So the car to you is free." But that same £58 a week is paid to people who don't use it as part of the cost of a motability allowance, too. Whether they use it to partly fund a car or to take a taxi for £58 worth of journeys is up to them. The rest of the cost of renting the car comes from the disabled person themselves (or their partner, if they are not able to earn)

I wonder whether poly resents that £58 a week for all disabled?

Poly seems to have disappeared when she didn't get the 'benefit scrounger' support she was obviously seeking.

The government wants people with disabilities to go to work, then takes away the Motability cars of 50,000 of them?
That's not just doing their bit.
They then lose their jobs

SueDonim I agree with you that because you have a disability you should not be denied choice. By the same token having a disability does not exclude you from the responsibilities of life. If belts have to be tightened then we all have to do our bit. I would add that I worked with people with disabilities for all my working life so I am not unsympathetic.

Yes, you are right, petra. Don't crow about it, though. I copied and pasted that from Galen's post further up, as I said.
Are you going to criticise Galen? I didn't.

I assume your misspelling of Guardian was on purpose?

durhamjen
Shouldn't that be 'to' be eligible. And before anyone jumps on me for being picky I'm sure many remember me being pulled up over spelling Gaurdian wrong.

I agree with you mcem. I find GN an interesting observational exercise more than anything, apart from a handful of posters.

I really wish I could believe it was a one-off t** post but some of the stuff I've read here recently makes me think it represents the view of a significant chunk of GN these days!

Nah! I doubt it mcem. Sounded more like a Nu-Kipper to me.

My guess is that life under a bridge was getting a bit boring, so Poly decided to go and do a bit of stirring.

And it turned into a neat opportunity to boast about are (sic) expensive cars.
D'you think she might vote Tory next month?
As my granny said 'To hell wi' you, Jack. I'm alright'!!!!

And Poly's cars would buy a couple of houses up here.

Probably a planned post from Conservative Central Office to deflect from the social care/WFA fiasco. Goodness, before you know it, someone will be posting about the increase in teenage pregnancies.

Your personal experience is as valid as anyone else's, annsixty.
You might make us see things differently, too.
ONe of the reasons there are so many different cars avaiable is that we are all individuals. Every person with a Motability car will have different needs and different specifications.
Also they all come from different backgrounds. Some will have money to add to the PIP; others will not. We had no extra money as my husband was on benefits as well as DLA. I worked as self-employed and we had no money to spare.
The car we got was the most comfortable one that we could afford for him. I don't apologise for that. There was a time when we thought he would never walk again.

I was going to reply citing personal experience but too many people only wanting to justify themselves and their own stance so I won't bother a d that is not getting at any one.

It's true Durham Tata owns the lot

I don't think I've insulted you Poly but I do wholeheartedly disagree with you.

There are lots of other ways that we could be saving money for those life saving operations and homeless people. We could ALL drive cheaper cars... you too?

I don't 'run around' in my car . Until very recently , I drove to work , did a 16 hour day and the drove home . I contributed my tax and NI .

You're right in one way - we'll have to agree to disagree .