Fuelling poverty

Petrol prices are spiralling but increases in disability benefits are lagging behind. That leaves disabled people who depend on their cars for their independence in deep trouble, says Helen Smith

At the time of writing, unleaded petrol prices had spiralled to an average of at least £1.15 a litre while diesel stood at around £1.30. This time last year both were less than 95p. Experts predict that by the end of 2008 we could be paying at least £1.50 for a litre of diesel.

It currently costs over £60 for me to fill my car with diesel. Not so long ago it was more like £40. Needless to say, disability benefits do not meet this extra cost and some disabled people fear becoming housebound because they cannot afford to run their vehicle.

John Homer, from Chatham in Kent, wrote to me, saying: “I, like many other severely disabled people, have already made cut-backs on our daily needs because disability living allowance (DLA) is no longer able to meet that need. Before long, some of us will not be able to afford to run the vehicle that we need to extend our independence.”

Disabled people often have to buy larger vehicles to transport wheelchairs and scooters. People who drive with hand controls also have to have an automatic. Large automatic cars are about the worst for fuel consumption: for example, on What Car? website, a Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI has an average mpg of 62.8. If diesel is taken at £1.30 a litre, it costs £58.44 to fill and will take you 622 miles. A VW Caravelle 2.5 TDI, with an average 34 mpg, costs £104 to fill and will only take you 598 miles.

For many disabled people, using buses and trains is not viable: public transport may be inaccessible or run too infrequently. Often, the ability to remain mobile and independent depends solely on having a car.

The support organisation Living Options Devon is deeply concerned that rising fuel prices could leave many disabled people “virtually housebound” and fears the negative impact on people’s health.

The Department for Work and Pensions told me that DLA rises in line with the retail price index, which takes account of the increased cost of a range of goods, including fuel. DLA rose by 3.9 per cent this year and will rise again next April. “People receiving DLA,” said a spokesman, “can use it in the way that best suits their needs.”

But this isn’t enough. Since last year, petrol prices have risen by 21 per cent and diesel by 37 per cent. And for people on the Motability car scheme, all the mobility component of DLA goes to Motability and people who became disabled after they are 65 don’t receive DLA anyway.

The government must act now before more disabled people find themselves with a car on the drive that they just can’t afford to run.