mcle and a severely disabled single mum from leeds is facing losing her children, job and even her home after government agency motability told her that the heavily adapted vehicle she relies on to get out and about makes her "too independent". kirsten battle, 38 who uses a specialist electric wheelchair qualified as the first disabled youth worker in yorkshire in 2009 has qualified for the scheme, the only one of its type in the uk, for over 20 years and was happily driving the van until this year when without warning the organisation, which is funded by disabled people who exchange their benefits for a vehicle on contract hire, suddenly wrote to her informing her that she would lose the vehicle. the organisation refuses to provide any evidence as to why this is the case. despite being asked to do so by her solicitor.

kirsten, who is recovering from major surgery, needs the vehicle to go anywhere due to the fact that she lives in a remote location which has no accessible "public" transport and no shops or services and, despite having grown up in the area is constantly abused by locals, attacks which have also been aimed at her car and home, causing major damage. these have been reported to the police and to leeds city council, both of whom have told her that "discriminative or hate orientated crime towards disabled people is perfectly legal under current legislation".

leeds city council have also told the mum of a 16 and 12 year old that the children will be taken into care if she loses the vehicle on the grounds that she would have no way to get them to school.

motability refused to comment.

disabled mum faces losing kids due to discrimination by government agency