DWP under fire over a growing controversy with the Motability scheme

Campaigners are putting pressure on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to expand the Motability Scheme to include recipients of Attendance Allowance. It’s a benefit currently excluded from the scheme despite countless older disabled people claiming it.

The call comes amid growing concern that people who become disabled after reaching State Pension age are being unfairly left behind when it comes to mobility support, deepening inequalities for vulnerable older citizens.

DWP Motability: where is it for older disabled people?

Labour MP Fred Thomas recently raised the issue in the House of Commons, asking what steps the government is taking to support pensioners who need adapted vehicles or mobility assistance after developing disabilities in later life.

Of course, Thomas himself seems to have posed the question more as a PR stunt – given the fact he voted for Winter Fuel Payment cuts for older people, and the scandalous Universal Credit Bill.

However, his question highlights a glaring gap: Attendance Allowance, the main benefit for disabled pensioners needing care or supervision, provides no help with mobility, automatically disqualifying recipients from the Motability Scheme’s vehicle leasing options. These are of course available under Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Attendance Allowance is paid at two weekly rates—£110.40 for those needing considerable help or terminally ill, and £73.90 for those requiring frequent assistance during the day or night. It is designed to ease the extra costs faced by disabled people and is neither means-tested nor reliant on National Insurance contributions.

Yet, because it lacks any mobility component, the extra independence that comes from access to adapted vehicles through Motability remains out of reach.

Labour: no changes

DWP minister Stephen Timms has repeatedly responded to related parliamentary questions explaining that the government sees mobility needs developing post-State Pension age largely as part of the normal ageing process rather than disability per se. This perspective underpins the official stance that the Motability Scheme will not be expanded to include Attendance Allowance recipients.

Currently, eligibility is restricted to those receiving benefits with a specific mobility element such as the higher rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), or equivalent disability-related payments.

Critics argue this rationale is shortsighted and unfair.

Many older people face severe mobility challenges caused by disabling conditions rather than simply ageing. By excluding them, the government effectively denies a critical lifeline that could help maintain their independence, social connections, and dignity. For disabled pensioners, reliance on Attendance Allowance alone means juggling financial and practical challenges without specialised mobility support that could transform their daily lives.

Moreover, ageing in itself can be disabling and often leaves people with limited mobility. Decades of cuts to social care mean that too many older people with mobility impairments are left isolated in their communities.

Not good enough from the DWP

The Motability Scheme itself clarifies in its FAQs that Attendance Allowance recipients cannot join, reinforcing the exclusion. The DWP has also confirmed there are no plans to revisit or broaden the list of qualifying benefits.

This rigidity contributes to ongoing frustration among campaigners and disability advocates who point to the Social Security Advisory Committee’s reports highlighting concerns about exclusion and discrimination against older disabled people in mobility support.

Campaigners urge the government to recognise the distinct needs of older disabled people and reassess the scheme’s qualification criteria. Expanding Motability to Attendance Allowance recipients would acknowledge that acquiring a disability at any age is a legitimate reason for needing specialised transportation. It would also promote equality by providing older disabled people with the same dignity, independence, and social inclusion offered to younger disabled individuals under existing rules.

The stance from the DWP reflects a wider issue in how disability policy often overlooks an ageing population and the complex challenges they face. By continuing to deny access to essential mobility services for older disabled people, the government risks deepening isolation and hardship for one of society’s most vulnerable groups.

For many, having an adapted vehicle is not a luxury—it is a lifeline enabling them to live with autonomy and participate fully in their communities.

Featured image via the Canary