- Conference
- 2024 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 23 February 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned that disabled members in local government are being penalised for using their cars to travel to and from work and for work purposes.
Disabled workers often have no option but to use their cars for work as public transport is either inaccessible or inappropriate for their needs.
Current NJC mileage rates for a casual car user based on travel of less than 8,500 miles per year are:
46.9p for cars with and engine sized between 451 and 999cc
52.2p for cars between 1000 and 1199cc
65p for cars over 1200cc
These rates have not been changed since 2010 but this is made worse as some local authorities refuse to pay anything other than the lowest mileage rate even if the car used has an engine that is above 1200cc.
They often use green travel policies or the need to reduce carbon emissions to justify only paying the lowest mileage rates without any consideration of the impact on disabled workers.
Disabled workers often need to use larger cars or wheelchair accessible vehicles for disability related reasons. These cars are rarely, if ever, below 999cc and often over 1200cc. Ever increasing fuel prices mean that disabled local government workers are effectively being charged to use their car for work purposes.
Although some UNISON branches have successfully negotiated increases in mileage rates or payments at the higher levels it should be noted that some of this benefit is lost in tax as HMRC rates have not increased since 2011.
An increasing number of local councils are also introducing parking charges for Blue Badge holders including in car parks at council buildings. Some disabled local government workers who have Blue Badges are being charged over £1,000 a year to park at work.
Evidence shows that it costs some disabled local government workers who travel to and from work by car almost double the amount a non-disabled local government worker pays. This means disabled local government workers are being charged just to attend work.
Conference believes that disabled workers play a vital role in local government. They provide an insight into local communities that help council’s deliver services that reflect the needs of their residents.
It is time for councils to recognise the valuable contribution disabled people make rather than penalising them for working.
Conference calls on the Local Government Service Group Executive to work with National Disabled Members Committee to:
1) Write to all local government branches to identify local councils whose policies have a negative impact on disabled members because they:
a) Fail to pay the correct cc mileage rate to disabled employees who use their car for work purposes;
b) Charge disabled employees who are Blue Badges holders to park at work.
2) Collect evidence of the financial hardship faced by disabled members in local government due to the policies referred to in action 1;
3) Write to all local councils who fail to pay the correct cc mileage rates and or charge disabled employees to park to:
i) Remind them of their duty to make reasonable adjustments to policies, practices and procedures for disabled employees;
ii) Request that they pay the correct cc mileage to people who need to use a car with a car with a higher cc engine for disability related reasons;
iii) Remove parking charges for disabled employees who are Blue Badge holders.
4) Raise these issues through national bargaining structures;
5) Circulate UNSION’s guide to Bargaining on Mileage Rates to branches and regions.
6. Work with Labour Link to lobby elected representatives in the UK and devolved governments for an urgent increase in HMRC mileage rates to reduce the tax burden on employees who need to use their car for work purposes.