Welfare Reform Bill & benefit cuts

Thanks Jim V

This is to explain how mobility allowance helps my son, Simon. He gets the higher rate (currently £49.85/week) which is used to lease a car through the Motability scheme. The car is kept at Simon's care home. It is driven by his carers who take him out on various activities daily. He goes to the park, swimming, shops, cafe, pub and social visits in the evening.

Simon needs constant care, he has low verbal communication and no sense of danger, 2:1 staffing when he is taken out in the community. He loves being outdoors, always has from a child. Sometimes I would drive him around for hours because he enjoyed it and it gave my wife and Simon's brother a break.

We live in Staffordshire, Simon in Nottinghamshire, and it's a 130 mile round trip. For home visits staff bring him to us in the morning in his car and drop him off, taking the car back to the care home. In the afternoon 2 different staff members arrive to take Simon back to his home. He is always happy to come to our home and enjoys the visits. He is also very happy to go back to his home and looks out for the staff returning in his car. This is of course a relief for us. We look forward to Simon being at home if only for a brief time but coping with him, even for a few hours, is stressful. It takes a couple of days to get over the sadness. I was going to say 'guilt' but it's not that, not any more. Simon is well cared for and happy at his home, the management and staff are great.

To lose the mobility allowance and hence a car for Simon's own use would be a hammer blow. It's not just the money. For me the real pain is that it signifies the government (i.e. society) no longer recognise or care how important this is to the lives of people like Simon.

Thanks Jim V

This is to explain how mobility allowance helps my son, Simon. He gets the higher rate (currently £49.85/week) which is used to lease a car through the Motability scheme. The car is kept at Simon's care home. It is driven by his carers who take him out on various activities daily. He goes to the park, swimming, shops, cafe, pub and social visits in the evening.

Simon needs constant care, he has low verbal communication and no sense of danger, 2:1 staffing when he is taken out in the community. He loves being outdoors, always has from a child. Sometimes I would drive him around for hours because he enjoyed it and it gave my wife and Simon's brother a break.

We live in Staffordshire, Simon in Nottinghamshire, and it's a 130 mile round trip. For home visits staff bring him to us in the morning in his car and drop him off, taking the car back to the care home. In the afternoon 2 different staff members arrive to take Simon back to his home. He is always happy to come to our home and enjoys the visits. He is also very happy to go back to his home and looks out for the staff returning in his car. This is of course a relief for us. We look forward to Simon being at home if only for a brief time but coping with him, even for a few hours, is stressful. It takes a couple of days to get over the sadness. I was going to say 'guilt' but it's not that, not any more. Simon is well cared for and happy at his home, the management and staff are great.

To lose the mobility allowance and hence a car for Simon's own use would be a hammer blow. It's not just the money. For me the real pain is that it signifies the government (i.e. society) no longer recognise or care how important this is to the lives of people like Simon.