Veteran to fight review after losing Motability

Dean Tolhurst has had a Motability car for the past six years

A 56-year-old army veteran has said he will "fight" to keep his Motability car after a review concluded he no longer qualifies for it.

The Motability scheme allows some people with a personal independence payment, or Pip, to lease a vehicle.

Dean Tolhurst, who lives in Bicton Heath, Shropshire, who has received his mobility payment for six years, claimed a recent reassessment had not been done properly and said his treatment was "inhumane”.

A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it was "changing the welfare system so it helps people to live with dignity”.

Mr Tolhurst served in the British Army in the 1980s as a driver in the Royal Corps of Transport.

He has had a Motability car for six years, after breaking his back, having three strokes, two hernias, knee reconstructions and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Mr Tolhurst said he was unable to afford his own vehicle and relied on his mobility payments.

"I can't use public transport because of my PTSD," he said, adding he only allowed trusted friends to drive him to doctors appointments and the supermarket.

Mr Tolhurst served as a driver in the Royal Corps of Transport in the 1980s

"They've given me one week's notice [before] I lose the vehicle," he said, adding it had left him "four miles from my nearest cheap supermarket”.

"They're isolating me - they're taking me away from my daily needs."

Mr Tolhurst has been awarded the standard rate for mobility, but to be eligible for the Motability scheme, claimants need to receive the enhanced rate.

Pip is paid to 3.7 million people with a long-term physical or mental health condition in England and Wales.

It includes a daily living component and a mobility component and claimants may be eligible for one or both.

In March, the government announced plans to tighten daily living assessments for both current and future claimants.

But after more than 120 Labour MPs threatened to vote against the change, it confirmed that those already receiving Pip would not be affected.

To receive Pip, people are asked questions about everyday tasks, with each scored from zero, for no difficulty, to 12, for most difficulty.

Mr Tolhurst said his most recent reassessment by Capita, which carries out Pip assessments on behalf of the DWP in the Midlands and Wales, did not properly take his mobility issues into account.

This resulted in him not receiving an extra mobility payment that would allow him to lease a Motability car.

The review was carried out via video call, which the grandfather believes is not appropriate.

"The video call got to 59 minutes and they said they weren't going to do the mobility part of the exam because they ran out of time," he said.

Mr Tolhurst said he later found out he had “failed" the review because he didn't score highly enough in the mobility section.

"I don't understand how they can fail me for something they didn't do," he said.

Mr Tolhurst said he "will not stop fighting" to overturn the decision.

The 56-year-old grandfather said he was now "doubling" his doses of prescription painkillers - against his doctor's advice - in order to live his life as normal.

"Not all disabilities are physical or visible - the government needs to learn that you can't judge a book by its cover," he said.

"Not everything that is wrong with me you can see, but what you can see is a person that will not give up.

"I will not stop fighting."

In a statement, a DWP spokesperson said it was "changing the welfare system so it helps people to live with dignity”.

They added it had "also announced a ministerial review of the Pip assessment process – which puts disabled people at its heart - to make sure it is fit and fair for the future”.

Capita said it does not comment on individual cases and confirmed the company does not make the decision to award Pip payments.