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Vicki Hoban described the Motability Scheme as “phenomenal”
Vicki Hoban has named her car Indy because it is her key to an independent life.
The black Vauxhall Mokka, which was leased through the Motability Scheme, means she can drive the 15 minutes from her home in Monmouth to a nearby farm to work with horses, a journey she could not make on public transport.
However, Vicki is “terrified” that the scheme – which allows people in receipt of certain disability benefits to lease vehicles more cheaply – could be revised in Wednesday’s Budget.
“At any moment I know I may not be secure anymore,” she said, describing the potential of losing the car as like “tearing off limbs”.
With the number of recipients increasing across the UK, and claims that some are “abusing” the scheme, the UK government said it is looking to make the system “fairer”.
Vicki has complex health needs; she is autistic and has ADHD, as well as the life-limiting condition Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The syndrome means she dislocates joints on a daily basis and, earlier this year, she broke three ribs after a minor fall.
While most people are “made of super glue”, she said she was “made of Pritt Stick”.
Her car was leased through the Motability Scheme, after she qualified for the mobility component of Personal Independent Payment (PIP). The benefit is transferred to Motability to cover the cost of the lease, insurance and any adaptations, meaning the recipient’s only day-to-day spend is on fuel.
Vicki described the scheme as “phenomenal”, adding public transport was hugely difficult for people in her situation and the car meant she could attend hospital appointments and be a part of her community.
It also allows her to get to a local farm to work with horses, granting her physical exercise.
“Coming outside is amazing,” she said.
Indy, Vicki’s Vauxhall Mokka, has “opened doors” for her, she said
But there has been criticism of the scheme, which is run by a private company and overseen by a charitable foundation, in particular the rising number of customers.
There are now 860,000 customers across the UK – a third of all who qualify for the scheme – an increase of 200,000 in the last five years. Some 60,000 are in Wales, compared with 660,000 in England, 86,000 in Scotland and 54,000 in Northern Ireland.
Ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reported to be considering changes to the scheme over concerns about how taxpayers’ money is spent.
There had also been complaints that “luxury” cars and brands such as Mercedes or BMW, up to the value of £45,000 (£55,000 for electric cars), could be leased through the scheme. But Motability has announced these brands were no longer available.
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Derrick Farr thinks that some people are “abusing” access to Motability cars, and worries that those who need the scheme the most could miss out
Derrick Farr, 70, leased his first car on the scheme in 2012 after a serious accident, and it became more important to him after he had a leg amputated three years ago.
“The idea of a Motability vehicle is to help you get around and have a bit of independence and it does that,” said Derrick, from Barry.
He said he would be “lost” without his car, either spending money on taxis or a long time on buses.
But he agrees with calls to restrict who can access the scheme, and which cars are available.
“There’s genuine people in this country that need it, and there’s people that don’t need it,” he said.
Taxpayers’ Alliance
The Taxpayers’ Alliance says Motability used to be non-controversial but “that has changed”
Elliot Keck from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, which lobbies for lower taxes, wants the chancellor to go further.
He said the nationwide increase in people using the Motability is due to some claimants “gaming the system”.
He has called on the government to restrict the criteria of who qualifies to those with physical conditions, rather than neurological conditions or mental ill health.
This, he said, would ensure the scheme is for those “with actually genuinely very serious conditions and very serious disabling conditions”.
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Kat Watkins, from Disability Wales, worries that changes to the Motability scheme will prevent disabled people from accessing work
These claims are strongly disputed by campaigners like Kat Watkins from Disability Wales, who described PIP as “very complex”.
She said qualifying for the Motability Scheme was “not an easy, simple procedure at all”, with a number of assessments carried out.
She added that those who need cars under the scheme do so for a reason, “not just because they fancy a new car every three years”.
She described reports about the introduction of changes to the scheme as worrying, saying it could isolate those with disabilities and “segregate society”.
“Disabled people already feel like second class citizens,” she said.
“The government’s push is to get more disabled people into work. How are they going to get more disabled people into work when they have no physical way of getting to work?”
The Department of Work and Pensions, which is responsible for PIP, said it did not speculate on the Budget, but that Motability “is an independent scheme, paid from people’s existing benefit payments”.
“As a government dedicated to the responsible management of public finances, we are looking at ways to make the scheme fairer.”
