Limited Capability to work UC

Newcad

Just to add that gold bullion (gold bars) is classed as capital.

Gold jewelry is classed as 'personal possessions'.

Personal posessions are not classed as capital, - but buying jewelry just like buying anything else is still subject to the deprivation rules as above if you buy posessions with the intention of then claiming benefits or increasing benefits.

"increasing benefits" generally also includes spending savings/capital to avoid a 'decrease' in benefits, say if you come into a large sum of money and spend it on non-necessities to get your savings down below limits.

(There is technically a bit of a grey area there with regard to UC assessment periods if you get a large sum of money and spend it quickly within a single AP, but the DWP Decision Maker will generally regard any such spending as deprivation. It might at sometime end up in court to clarify that grey area but it hasn't yet).

MouldyOldDough

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Yes it would

I suggest investing in a 2nd hand car - it can be proved necessary as a way of getting about and may appreciate if you buy a " classic"

No, see my response above.

Buying a classic car would also be deprivation of capital if it's more expensive than an ordinary secondhand car that would meet their needs.

There is no way around it except paying off debt, which includes a mortgage, or simply not allowing savings to accumulate in the first place.

I was not talking about a ferrari - I meant an MG or similar -  say £20 ?

That, surely can't be considered deprivation of capital - especially if the purchaser has no transport anyway ?

Spoonie_Turtle

MouldyOldDough said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Yes it would

I suggest investing in a 2nd hand car - it can be proved necessary as a way of getting about and may appreciate if you buy a " classic"

No, see my response above.

Buying a classic car would also be deprivation of capital if it's more expensive than an ordinary secondhand car that would meet their needs.

There is no way around it except paying off debt, which includes a mortgage, or simply not allowing savings to accumulate in the first place.

I was not talking about a ferrari - I meant an MG or similar -  say £20 ?

That, surely can't be considered deprivation of capital - especially if the purchaser has no transport anyway ?

If you meant £20k, that's a ridiculous amount of money for a secondhand car (unless the only ones available to meet the person's needs are that expensive - doubtful, when you can get a new car for that price).

Ultimately it would be down to a DWP decision maker to consider what expenditure would have been reasonable in the circumstances.

tacpot12

Realistically spending more than £2k on a non-adapted car means you are buying something more than you need as transport. 

Spoonie_Turtle

tacpot12 said:

Realistically spending more than £2k on a non-adapted car means you are buying something more than you need as transport. 

We are currently looking for something that fits my wheelchair in whole (necessary) that's not a 7-seater.  Most of the options are under £5,000, although the newer ones with low mileage are in the low teens.

If we didn't need my chair to go in whole, we could get a nice, decent car for £5k.  And if we didn't need a powered chair to go in at all, £2k would be possible … I think £3-4k is more reasonable for not an old banger though, to be fair.