Taxi Driver Online

Dear Reader,

In this edition we reveal that Motability cars are being taken away from a shocking 45% of users who transfer from disability living allowance (DLA) to personal independence payment (PIP).

In addition, following the hundreds of comments we’ve received about Atos PIP assessment centres, we’ve now obtained a list of Capita PIP assessment centres and we’re asking for your help in making sure claimants know what problems they may encounter when sent to them.

In other news, there has been outrage at the leaked disclosure that the DWP is to appoint a senior outgoing boss from tax avoiding multinational Amazon to the post of non-executive director at the DWP.

Plus there’s the news that the DWP have lost a House of Lords vote on ESA and a court of appeal hearing on the bedroom tax. But how much difference will any of it make?

Savage Motability cuts
45% of claimants who have a Motability car paid for via DLA lose it when they are transferred to PIP, because they fail to qualify for the enhanced rate of the PIP mobility component.

At the moment claimants who lose their car in these circumstances get up to £2,000 from the charity to help with the purchase of a second hand vehicle. But such a small sum will not in any way make up for the loss of a specially adapted vehicle.

As one Benefits and Work reader, MyelopathicMe, explained:

“This has happened to me. In my case I've been given transitional support but have still had to borrow enough to buy my motability car, which has put untold pressure on my finances. Yes I am appealing but in the meantime you still have to either buy the car or hand it back and obviously you have to find the money for tax, MOT, insurance, breakdown & repairs if you buy your car - no mean feat when unable to work so to me it is like State-sanctioned knee capping.”

Success rates for PIP appeals are running very high, at around 60%. So there is no doubt it is worth considering appealing if you have lost your Motability car and you believe the decision was wrong.

Capita PIP assessment centres
You’ve already provided us with a wealth of information about individual PIP assessment centres used by Atos, though we would still welcome more. But we said at the outset that if there was sufficient interest we would ask for information about Capita PIP centres too.

So, we’ve now obtained a list of Capita assessment centres via the Freedom of Information Act. You’ll find links to them below this article. So, if you’ve visited one of them and can provide information about the facilities, then please do post a comment.

Amazon at the DWP
The DWP has sparked outrage by appointing an Amazon boss to a non-executive director’s role at the DWP. The appointment of Doug Gurr, the head of the tax avoiding multinational’s Chinese operation, to the DWP is likely to be officially announced next week.

Amazon paid just £11.9m in tax in 2014, despite UK sales of £5.3bn.

DWP double loss
The DWP has announced that it will to continue to hound the carers of a severely disabled teenager who won their case against being forced to pay the bedroom tax in the Court of Appeal last month. The DWP have said they will not accept the court’s decision and instead will take the case to the Supreme Court.

The cost of the legal proceedings is likely to be greater than the cost of exempting all those in a similar situation from the bedroom tax.

The government was also heavily defeated in the House of Lords last month over plans to cut £30 per week from the benefit of new claimants in work-related activity group (WRAG) of employment and support allowance (ESA).

The House of Lords voted by 238 votes to 198 against reducing the level of payments for claimants, many of whom have degenerative diseases or serious mental health conditions, to the same level as jobseeker’s allowance. However, the bill will now return to the Commons where there is a strong likelihood of it once again winning majority support.

The cut is due to be introduced in April 2017 and, in most circumstances, will not affect current claimants.

Good luck,

Steve Donnison

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

avage Motability cuts
45% of claimants who have a Motability car paid for via DLA lose it when they are transferred to PIP, because they fail to qualify for the enhanced rate of the PIP mobility component.

maybe a bit more work for us then

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

It's about time most of them don't need cars, they can walk unaided. One lad I know gets Motability and plays football on a Saturday and a Sunday.

Nip to Tesco's. Watch the "disabled" leap out a 4x4 or MX-5 and fetch 2 trollies of shopping

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Or the lad in my area who was broadcasting on bookface that he would use his Motability car as a means of giving his mates lifts to and from the pubs and night clubs at cheaper fares than taxis. His FB page was "private" so Licensing was unable to prove what he'd said or catch him doing it.

With the enormous cost of Motability cars and the annual mileage it should be cheaper for the state to pay for taxis for them. A lot of old people I've spoken to have found that after they've had their licences taken away for medical reasons; cheaper to get a taxi than keep a car.

Motability is the biggest UK fleet

a relative had one, 25 years on the sick, but he could get a wetsuit on and go scuba diving 13 weeks at a time in Spain

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

There is a lady from my town who has a disability car and she has completed the London Marathon. maybe she should lose her entitlement.
https://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/sear ... &fr=mcafee
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-le ... e-17988848

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Grandad,

Had a bloke one night going to the pub. Had to assist him in his wheelchair getting from his house, into the car and out of the car into the pub.
Got him going home, same thing, wheelchair in boot.
Once we got to his house he pays, jumps out of the car and starts hobbling to his front door. I waited a few seconds before shouting 'have you forgot something mate ?'

Had another on crutches from the supermarket, had to help, carry all his shopping into his house etc.
As I pulled away I glances in my rear view mirror and he's RUNNING down the road waving his arms. He'd left his phone in the car !

a car and a £40k bionic suit.....nice

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

I used to do lots of ambulance service jobs, one 2 man crew said their regular passenger (3 times a week to hospital) overtook them in his motability car one day....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Any local Authority will have full access to Facebook in the event of fraud or crimes being committed.

Not correct. Enforcement CAN get access, but they need a warrent for each "Person" they are investigating I believe.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Screenshot usually

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

just because they can walk it doesn't mean they don't deserve one, my son had one while he had lung cancer, he died at 27 years of age, in the beginning he was ok & people actually used to say stuff like that to him when he parked in a disabled bay , what i am saying is, just because they don't "limp" etc, it doesn't mean there is nothing wrong with them

what a bunch of c*nts you people are - i'm actually agreeing with ven here.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin