Ask the experts

Q I am on disability living allowance and income support and am only allowed to work eight hours a week. I live in a privately-rented flat and have an awful credit record. I have been turned down for a £3,000 loan. My monthly income is £800 a month. I owe £2,000 and have a christening and a wedding coming up, so I need to put all my money in one lower monthly bill. But no-one will help me because of my history. I was a mess before but now I have my life sorted and even have a part-time job for as long as I want. Is there anyone I can turn to to get my loan?
Miss D Plowman, Skegness, Lincolnshire

David Clarke: It is great to hear you have worked hard to put your finances on a much surer footing. Your “awful” credit history and the slow-down in the provision of consumer lending will vastly reduce the number of lenders willing to refinance your debt and provide new debt over a longer repayment period. Although your income is apparently stable and secure, your credit record and the lack of any tangible assets such as a house means your request will probably continue to be declined by mainstream lenders. There may be some companies at the extreme end of the market who would agree to your request. However, this would come at a considerable price and I would strongly recommend you do not pursue such a solution. Taking out new borrowing at this time could compromise your financial rehabilitation. Instead, I would suggest a two-pronged approach. Firstly, discuss your financial circumstances with your existing lenders (there are several companies who will do this for you). If they are responsible lenders, they will take your restructuring proposals seriously. Your relatively secure income ought to persuade them to agree a more favourable repayment programme, as long as it is affordable. I would undertake this task yourself. However, if you use a company to handle these negotiations on your behalf, agree fees in advance (which should be modest) and ensure the agreements they reach do not further damage your credit history. This should free up surplus cash which, over a few months, will make a contribution to the christening and wedding expenses. Secondly, I would produce a thorough monthly income and expenditure budget showing essential versus non-essential items. This will also be useful for your lenders on point one. You may have to make temporary sacrifices, which will also make a contribution to the christening and wedding expenses. If you follow this advice I hope you will pull together enough funds to fund the christening and wedding while not placing yourself in further financial jeopardy.

Q Five years ago, my 46-year-old, clean driving licence was revoked by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) because of alleged defective eyesight. The fields testing method had discovered faults. I was shocked at being banned and arranged an independent check by a driving school and was considered fit to drive by the instructor. DVLA rejected the report. I have exchanged nearly 100 letters with DVLA and although my eyesight passes the legal standard tests for driving, DVLA will not reissue my licence. Fields testing is uncomfortable and hit-and-miss, and works by blinking and using a whiteout effect when following a computer timed cycle. Testing by a driving examiner is far fairer. DVLA will not permit a driving test, quoting fields testing and referring to expensive legal appeals. My wife is severely disabled and we are paying £15 an hour for carers to take her out in our converted car.
William McCaffrey, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria

Ed Passant: I do understand that losing a licence can be extremely traumatic, particularly where you and/or your family are seriously affected by the impact on your mobility. But the DVLA has a responsibility to all road-users to decide who should hold a licence, and they have clear guidelines, particularly in relation to issues such as vision. It isn’t clear how the problem with your vision first came to their attention. All drivers have to inform them if they have a medical condition or disability that may affect their driving (failure to do so is a crime punishable by a fine of up to £1,000), but in certain circumstances, a GP or consultant may contact the DVLA directly and sometimes the police may make a referral after an incident. In your case, an ophthalmologist seems to have reported problems with your field of view and DVLA’s drivers medical group (DMG), taking into account the medical information, has revoked your licence. You feel this decision has been taken in an arbitrary way because of your past driving record and the suggestion by a driving instructor that you are still fit to drive. The DMG is usually very understanding of the need for mobility and if there is any element of doubt it will normally refer a driver for an assessment at a mobility centre to give a driver every chance to show they are fit to drive. Field of view issues can be extremely complicated and a driving instructor, or even an examiner, would not be remotely capable of assessing the issues adequately. A short driving test cannot possibly replicate all driving conditions or the unexpected events that can occur when driving. Any known visual problem needs to be assessed differently. You can appeal the DVLA decision at a magistrates court but I believe you would need the support of expert medical opinion.

The Experts

Answering questions on Relationships is Simon Parritt, a counselling psychologist who has studied psychosexual therapy. Simon was the only disabled director of the former Association to Aid the Sexual and Personal Relationships of People with a Disability (SPOD). We have two Legal experts on our panel. Eleanor Williams is an employment lawyer specialising in discrimination at Darwin Gray solicitors. Disabled herself, Eleanor lectures widely and holds a number of advisory positions. Douglas Joy is the senior solicitor at the Disability Law Service and is blind. He started working in community care and mental health law in 2002. Other Benefits and Debt questions are answered by Gary Martin, who is welfare benefits supervisor at Walthamstow Citizens Advice Bureau. Our Equipment guru is John Mandrak, who is blind and has worked for nearly 25 years as a disability journalist and consultant. He is an advisor on the Disabled Living Foundation’s helpline. Answering questions on Travel is Andy Wright, who is disabled and is managing director of Accessible Travel, a specialist tour operator providing holidays for people with mobility impairments. Our Finance expert is David Clarke, who is blind, has spent 14 years in banking and has worked for three leading financial service providers. He is now a senior partner with Clydesdale Bank. Kate Sheehan answers your questions on Property.
She is an independent occupational therapist with 20 years’ experience and a passionate interest in housing. Motoring questions are dealt with by Ed Passant, chief executive of the Forum of Mobility Centres, the umbrella body for 17 independent organisations which provide driver and passenger assessment for disabled people.