It it’s wisdom our council are suggesting that the ‘Essential Mileage’ allowance should be scrapped and that workers will only be paid the low rate casual allowance.
You can imagine the comments from Social Workers, and yes we will fight this, the timing being impeccable, just as morale in the fieldwork teams could not get any lower.
Has anyone else experienced this?
what is the difference in rates?
Not sure, off hand what the new casual rate will be. But it means loosing £97 per month lump sum we are given to help towards running a decent and reliable car for work purposes.
The lump sum payments are taxable, as is any mileage payment above 40p per mile.
surfer: The lump sum payments are taxable, as is any mileage payment above 40p per mile.
whats that got to do with the LA aboloshing essential mileage?
It affects any net losses that people may suffer through losing the "essential" allowance.
surfer: It affects any net losses that people may suffer through losing the "essential" allowance.
can you explain more?
Say you are an essential user and get £100 per month lump sum and 40p per mile - you are taxed 20% on the lump sum and nothing on the mileage.
Say you then are moved to casual mileage at 70p per mile - you are taxed 20% on the mileage above 40p, i.e. on the 30p.
Your Authority is supposed to notify the Inland Revenue annually of the allowances you have received; they then adjust your tax coding to recoup (retrospectively) whatever you are due to pay.
We only get the bottom rate of the essential car user allowance - something just over £60 /month and the lowest mileage rate. If we drive over a certain quota, the mileage drops to something silly like 11p/mile or in the region of that. I wouldn 't mind at all being paid a casual user rate if that is consistent no matter how much I am asked to drive.
Vamps: Not sure, off hand what the new casual rate will be. But it means loosing £97 per month lump sum we are given to help towards running a decent and reliable car for work purposes.
Thats disgusting, you are expected to use your own car but the essential car user allowance is being scrapped? How can they justify that?
The LA I work for gives you £70 a month essential car user allowance plus 40p a mile, so that's about £17 a week for wear and tear on your car, plus you have to pay for business insurance and that petrol allowance doesn't even cover the fuel give the price of it
I can understand why you are angry, I'd be too
it's already happened in my authority
any new starters are put on 'casual' status, exisitng workers that currenlty have 'essential' are being phased over to 'casual'.
i don't quite understand how they can advertise in the job sepecifications of our posts that driving licence and access to vehicle are 'essential' requirements of the post if our usage can then be classed as 'casual'.
i think we get 0.47p per mile but i'm not 100% on that
You should all refuse to use your cars on official business.... Ask the council to provide pool cars.
Smokey: You should all refuse to use your cars on official business.... Ask the council to provide pool cars.
Been to a Union meeting tonight. There are no details from the LA yet, we are saying that will not use our cars, they talk about providing pool cars, but we would need one each that would cost more than them paying our essential lump sum.
Re the tax comment, they are talking about us all being paid the lowest level of casual which is less than I currently get. So, during this difficult time for Social Workers they want to take £1200 pa off us, oh and no pay or incremental rise for some time
Unions are going back to the management with our thoughts and comments, the feeling is that management just expect us to continue to use our cars so we will give in. Lets all be good workers, and not only give them lots of our time over and above, but lets subsidise the LA's travel expences........
Our council is doing this as well and we will only be paid 34p a mile, not happy.
kymb21: Our council is doing this as well and we will only be paid 34p a mile, not happy.
how can they get away with it?
looks like it's going to become widespread then
thought they wanted to retain social workers not lose them
Which council is that then? I realise you may not want to say, are you in the North East and did you have a Union meeting tonight, or, are you in the North East and in a Seaside Council??
Can we do PM's on this forum??
jelly_tot04: kymb21: Our council is doing this as well and we will only be paid 34p a mile, not happy. how can they get away with it? looks like it's going to become widespread then thought they wanted to retain social workers not lose them
Exactly........