Liz Kendall is right to go after Motability fraudsters but must be careful not to punish everyone - Jayne Dowle

For once, I was lost for words. But now Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is daring to voice what I thought. Too many people are taking advantage of the Motability scheme, which accounts for one in five of all new vehicles sold in the UK.

Last year a record 815,000 people, out of 1.3 million who receive the enhanced mobility award as part of their Personal Independence Payment (PIP), were signed up for the scheme, an increase of more than 170,000 in one year. This fleet of cars, the biggest in Europe, is valued at £14bn.

And whilst Kendall is absolutely right to ask questions about just who is qualifying for PIP and how they justify their ‘need’, there are many, many people with disabilities and serious illness and health conditions who rely on a Motability car, and would seriously struggle to live a meaningful life without it.

Such as my parents. I’ve lost count of the times my dad has asked me about his Motability car since Kendall’s crackdown on benefits was announced last week.

He’s worried about what he hears and reads about changes to PIP and how this might affect the enhanced mobility allowance. This provides so-called ‘free’ cars through the Motability scheme, for people with disabilities and a myriad – and growing – range of health conditions.

For years now, dad has driven a Motability car because my mum, who doesn’t drive, has severe osteoarthritis and can’t comfortably walk more than a few yards. When she’s out and about she uses a mobility scooter, so the car, a Volkswagen Tiguan, needs a boot large enough to carry this.

As dad has rheumatoid arthritis affecting his hands, this car is an automatic too to make driving as stress-free as possible. Dad’s never been a ‘car’ type of bloke; his vehicle is simply a reliable means of getting from A to B, not a status symbol. The reassurance and cost-saving of free road tax, breakdown cover, servicing and MOTs if required is very welcome too.

Mum receives what is still, in her case, denoted as Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which is being superseded by PIP, giving up a significant portion of her benefit to cover the cost of the car. So not free, for her at least. And when the car is replaced, every three years if they choose, there is typically a four-figure upfront sum to pay too.

My parents are both 81 now and I’m not exaggerating when I say this car is a lifeline; dad uses it to take mum to vital medical appointments and check-ups, to the shops, on little trips out to keep their spirits up.

As dad has a heart condition, both parents also qualify for a Blue Badge each, which allows them, or whoever might be giving them a lift, to park in close, convenient spots at the hospital, for example, on-street for free and without time limits in designated disabled parking bays, and on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours.

You couldn’t find two more ‘deserving’ individuals. And never, ever do they take their privileges for granted. I totally understand dad’s concern; it would be absolutely heartbreaking if because of the selfishness and greed of those who play the system people like my parents lost their independence.

With a Motability car, you can have up to three named drivers and I’m one. I’ve not even sat behind the wheel yet and they’ve had the car for two years. Yet I know people who have wangled a shiny new Motability car in the name of an elderly parent who has never put their foot to the pedal; instead grasping sons and daughters are swanning around picking up their kids from school in the latest people carriers.

And those Blue Badges are guarded with my parents’ lives; if I ever happen to take them anywhere in my car and we use a Blue Badge for parking, mum is convinced a traffic warden is waiting to pounce and confiscate it for some arcane over-stepping of the rules.

It is very true, sadly, that we live in a world where TikTok influencers show people how to claim Motability cars and Blue Badges on the basis of spurious conditions such as self-diagnosed ADHD, whilst pensioners such as my parents sit and worry that their wheels are going to be removed. Kendall is right to crack down on the fraudsters – there is no other word for it – but must not use her tough stance as a quick win which punishes all.