Grateful if someone in the know on the scribbly / allowances side could shed light on whether I'm just being a bit thick (very possible
) or whether the current HDT scheme is taking the p1ss. And before anyone says, read it, have already looked at JSP 752 and the admin office in my new section of the trench believes just turning up is going above and beyond:
I am in the process of relocating Melchett HQ outside the wire - some 40 miles outside the wire. Now some might say it's my choice to live so far from my current location, but having had discussions with the desk about career aspirations it looks as though I will be spending the next couple of tours in this part of the world, so my new place will be fairly central for most future locations. To me that makes sense - a bit of forward planning and according to the JSP 752 I will be saving the Dept money by not living on base, hence why they pay HDT for people living in their own homes.
However, it appears that the HDT allowance is based on the private care rate MMA, ~25p/mile, but the deductions made for the private contribution is based on a rate of 31p / mile. Furthermore, the formula used to calculate the allowance is based on 18 journies per month; now unless my maths is rusty, that is 9 days worth of commuting there and back, but in a typical month I will be in work for 22-22 days. Even if the 18 journies per month is there and back, that's still less than the number of days at work each month.
So if I will be saving the Dept money for the rest of my career, how come the HDT regs appear to be the epitome of Scrooge like penny pinching - just what justification is there for penalizing people for commuting to work if you want to get them off base so you can save money?
Yet more lip service from the allowances people? But then I guess Gordon has to save money somehow in order to keep paying the MPs' unreceipted allowances. Have I got it wrong - will HDT deliberately leave me out of pocket for going to work?
