MORE than 50,000 disabled people have had specially adapted cars and other vehicles taken from them as they move over to the controversial personal independence payments (PIP), according to Motability, the charity that runs the scheme.
The latest figures from the Motability charity show 51,000 people have been taken off the scheme after a reassessment for PIP since it launched in 2013 – 45 per cent of all cases. Of these, more than 3,000 have since rejoined after the decision to refuse them PIP was overturned.
MPs and campaigners are now demanding changes to the Motability programme, so vehicles are not taken away before claimants have had a chance to appeal the decision.
A Dumfriesshire disabled father, who had his Motability car taken away only to have it reinstated after appeal, is leading calls for the government to overhaul the system.
David Gale, who has muscular dystrophy, which causes muscle weakness and declining mobility, had to return his Motability car in October after a PIP reassessment.
As the family’s sole breadwinner, he was forced to use his savings to buy a car, so he could get from his home near Dumfries to work in Carlisle 30 miles away.
David appealed for his PIP award and won back his right to apply for a Motability vehicle but is now locked into payments for his replacement car, leaving him out of pocket due to the original decision to take his Motability car away.
He has started a petition calling for PIP claimants to be allowed to keep their cars until they have gone through the appeals process, which has been signed more than 1000 times since it launched at the start of this month.
David said: “I need my car to get to my job in Carlisle and support my family.
“Facing reassessment, losing my car and spending hard-earned savings I can’t get back on a replacement vehicle has been a waste of my time, energy and money.
“We urgently need change so that thousands more people can avoid the distress I have been put through.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says a fraction of PIP decisions are overturned, while those taken off the Motability scheme are eligible for £2000 of support, but charity Muscular Dystrophy UK said 900 cars are now being taken away every week, as more people are rejected for PIP.
The Motability scheme entitles disabled people to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair using part of their benefit but thousands of people are being denied Motability as they transfer over from disability living allowance (DLA) to PIP.
The number of people eligible for Motability funding has halved during the reassessment process since PIP launched in 2013, according to Muscular Dystrophy UK. The charity is now calling on the DWP to reverse a fiercely contested change in the rules.
A DWP spokeswoman said: “The reality is that, since PIP was introduced in 2013, more than two million decisions have been made; of these just 7 per cent have been appealed and 3 per cent have been overturned.
“But we constantly review our processes, to make sure they are working in the best way possible.
“Most people leaving the Motability scheme are eligible for a one-off payment of £2000 to meet their needs.”
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