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Chelsea loves her posh motorCredit: Paul Tonge 4<\/p>\n She says she won’t go back to workCredit: Paul Tonge<\/p>\n \u201cPosh car – did you borrow it?\u201d asks one friend, immediately spotting Chelsea\u2019s vehicle – a far cry from her former car, a secondhand Ford Fiesta which cost \u00a3700.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNo – it\u2019s mine,\u201d says Chelsea. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t even have to get a job. I paid just \u00a31,000 for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Chelsea, a single mum to a girl, nine, and sons, six and 15 months, from Nottingham, \u2018earned\u2019 the car under the Government\u2019s Motability<\/a> Scheme.\u00a0<\/p>\n The scheme allows those on personal independence benefit<\/a> (PIP) to lease a car for their specific needs. But a Sun investigation found 51 per cent of those on for depression<\/a> were successful at applying to be eligible for Motability<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some 35 per cent were accepted after claiming it for \u201cbedwetting,\u201d and 66 per cent for agoraphobia<\/a>.<\/p>\n And claimants weren\u2019t just leasing any old car but posh vehicles including Skoda Kodiaqs, a family motor which is typically worth \u00a336,000 but is available on Motability for \u00a33,299. They also get expensive extras such as insurance including tyre and windscreen replacement cover, breakdown cover, vehicle tax and servicing as part of the deal.<\/p>\n Why should I drive an ‘old banger?’<\/p>\n Chelsea – whose middle son has autism – says it\u2019s absolutely correct that she should get a cheaper vehicle\u2026 even if it is eye-wateringly posh.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should a mum-of-three on Universal Credit<\/a> drive an old banger?\u201d she asks.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy kids deserve to ride in style. I\u2019d have never been able to afford this working as a hairdresser<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like having a brilliant car without all the huge cost of upkeep. I pay \u00a375 for fuel each week. That\u2019s it. I\u2019m not a scrounger. <\/p>\n “If you have an issue, blame the government. I deserve it. I know it\u2019s posher than what most people can afford but that doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n 10 PIP freebies worth up to \u00a340k<\/p>\n Single Chelsea, who left school with seven GCSEs and a college diploma in hairdressing, worked as a stylist when she fell pregnant aged 20 with her first baby in 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n She returned to her job after a year, but after her second baby arrived in 2019, when she was 23, left work permanently.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBalancing employment and childcare left me earning just \u00a38 a day,\u201d she says. \u201cIt made more sense to claim benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n In April 2020 she applied for Universal Credit, a benefit which includes housing benefit, standard adult allowance, child element and disabled child allowance as well as a DLA mobility component, and was awarded \u00a32,966.<\/p>\n Chelsea’s \u00a337k annual incomings:<\/p>\n Housing Benefit: \u00a3451.12<\/p>\n Standard Allowance \u00a3393.45,<\/p>\n Child Element capped: \u00a3621,25<\/p>\n Child Benefit: \u00a3208<\/p>\n Disabled Child Allowance: \u00a3497.58<\/p>\n DLA Motability Scheme: \u00a3303\u00a0<\/p>\n DLA care allowance high rate: 434.20<\/p>\n Healthy Start Voucher: \u00a34.25 a month (for youngest child)\u00a0<\/p>\n School Meals: Free (for two children)<\/p>\n Prescriptions: Free<\/p>\n Glasses and eye tests: Free<\/p>\n NHS Travel: Free<\/p>\n Food Vouchers: \u00a3100 annually\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Fuel Voucher: \u00a398 annually<\/p>\n Cold Weather Payment: \u00a325 for each 7 day period the temperature slips below 0c<\/p>\n Internet: Discounted price<\/p>\n Cost of Living Payment 2022-24: \u00a31,550<\/p>\n But her total benefits actually total significantly more – \u00a33,100 or \u00a337,200 annually – because they include free school meals, prescriptions and her cut-price car.\u00a0<\/p>\n She was awarded the car in January 2022\u00a0 and chose her specific one because it\u2019s \u201ciconic\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt includes automatic high-beam adjustment, rear passenger seat ventilation, heated door mirrors, 19-inch alloys, front and rear parking sensors, and rear parking camera as well as a seven-inch infotainment screen offering touchscreen display and connectivity options such as Bluetooth, app accessibility and USB,\u201d she says. \u201cIt also includes a DAB radio. \u201cI wanted the best for my kids and a car which was easy to drive.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trolled by ‘jealous working mums’<\/p>\n \u201cThe kids love the car, and it makes shopping so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n As well as not paying for the car, Chelsea doesn\u2019t have to \u201cfork out for insurance or repairs.\u201d She continues: \u201cIt means I can focus on the kids, not the car.\u201d<\/p>\n Chelsea, who has been trolled by \u201cjealous working mums<\/a>\u201d says the car is a big reason she\u2019s \u201cnot going back to work anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople might slam me but I won\u2019t be criticised for driving a car most working Brits can\u2019t afford,\u201d she says. \u201cI was allowed to apply for it and, yes, I got it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWorking people with disabilities can do the same. I understand why some people might be annoyed but I urge them to research the scheme and understand why it is there and who can apply.\u00a0<\/p>\n How to claim Child Benefit<\/p>\n Child benefit is worth up to \u00a31,331 a year for your first or only child and up to \u00a3881 a year for additional\u00a0children.<\/p>\n This works out at \u00a3102.40 every four weeks or \u00a325.60 a week for your first child and \u00a367.80 every 4 weeks or \u00a316.95 a week for their siblings.<\/p>\n There is no limit on the number of children that can be claimed for.<\/p>\n Applying is straightforward and can be done in minutes at gov.uk or through the HMRC app. <\/p>\n Parents with a newborn baby should make a claim online as soon as possible and could then receive their first payment in as little as three days.<\/p>\n You can also backdate claims for up to three months. \u00a0<\/p>\n Parents can make a claim and then choose to opt out of receiving\u00a0Child\u00a0Benefit\u00a0payments can still receive National Insurance credits if one parent is not working.<\/p>\n National Insurance credits build up your entitlement to the state pension. <\/p>\n \u201cI am planning to get an even posher one when I upgrade. I am due an upgrade this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnder the scheme the car cannot be any older than three years old. So after the car is three years old you get a new one for the next three years.\u201d<\/p>\n She also thinks Motability vehicles should be available to all single mums on Universal Credit – despite the extortionate impact this would have on Britain\u2019s already bloated budget.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMany single mums have no transport and cannot juggle two or three kids on public transport,\u201d she says. \u201cCars for single parents on Universal Credit would mean less isolation, less depression and anxiety and encourage mums and dads to have easy access to job interviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t have anyone complain I shouldn’t have one. I will not give it up. It\u2019s my right. The car has been a lifeline. For many people buying a new car often comes after months of savings and involves expensive loans.<\/p>\n Sick of ‘benefits trolls’<\/p>\n \u201cPeople on Universal Credit don’t have the expendable income to save for a car or to fund the loan repayments.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA car under \u00a31,000 would require a lot more repairs and cause claimants to fall deeper into debt.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cheap deals are available to those who work but can claim PIP too. I refuse to be taken down by the benefits trolls. They\u2019re just jealous of my car.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one is stopping you from applying for a freebie car if you or one of your family qualifies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not my job to keep other people happy or balance the government\u2019s budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Chelsea\u2019s case is not unique. In the past six years the number of people claiming either PIP (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) has risen by 194%. 1.3 million people or 44 per cent of all claimants suffered mental health or behavioural conditions as their primary reason for claiming disability benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n And almost 815,000 Brits are benefiting from the Motability Scheme.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact I can get a car is actually helping the British economy,\u201d says Chelsea. \u201cI looked it up. The Motability scheme helps the car industry because one in four cars on the road are from the scheme. Without it and my car the economy would suffer.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not know why people are moaning.\u201d<\/p>\n The scheme allows drivers access to a range of vehicles including a Fiat 500 to a Land Rover or a high end Tesla<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Could it be the end of the road for Motability?<\/p>\n By Martina Bet<\/p>\n MOTABILITY\u00a0allows people with serious disabilities to lease a car using their\u00a0benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n Customer numbers have surged 30 per cent in five years, with many joining for non-physical conditions such as anxiety,\u00a0depression<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0ADHD<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the firm\u2019s tracking systems have uncovered late-night runs and non-disabled relatives regularly using the vehicles.<\/p>\n Motability said it will now review how many people can use each vehicle \u2014 currently set at three to allow for carers.<\/p>\n Chief executive Andrew Miller warned tougher checks are coming.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cAre we perhaps being too generous on the\u00a0insurance<\/a>\u00a0criteria?<\/p>\n “We\u2019re having to look at that quite heavily at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Around 815,000 people now use the Motability scheme, with more than 700,000 vehicles on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had to work there is no way I could make almost \u00a32,500 net a month, especially working around my children\u2019s school schedules,\u201d says Chelsea. \u201cThe jobs are not there. I would have to pay full council tax, pay for prescriptions and lose a raft of other discounts. I cannot work because I would be worse off financially and end up back on benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn’t make me work shy or lazy, it’s a simple maths equation. Labelling me a scrounger is wrong because I won’t work. I am not broken. I am simply outspoken and brazen about stating the reality of life.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government has created a system which permits people to get financial aid, the cost of living means people are spending less on services like hairdressers and the jobs are not out there.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a grafter. I have to be as I\u00a0look after three kids day and night. It’s a full-time job. But I am just not daft. It\u2019s more financially viable for me to be on benefits. Better solutions are needed and labelling people lazy isn’t one of them.<\/p>\n \u201cI am dead sick of people telling me not to be a single mum or have kids so young.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no one\u2019s business and I won\u2019t work until I can be assured the work will earn me more than Universal Credit.<\/p>\n \u201cAs to Motability Scheme haters they can p*** off. My posh wheels are staying. I need my car.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/chelsea-lealand-mum-3-uc-981413395.jpg\")
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