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Good evening all!
My name is Laurence and I am new to this site, and I am looking for help and advice on my current situation.
I have been seperated from my ex parenter for just over a year, and current we are in the middle of going through mediation for my agreement rights to see my daughter. Just recently my ex parenter has hit me with a bomb shell that she is moving away, which will be roughly an hour journey each way from where I live. She has threatend that she was thinking about moving even further away as far as two and a half hour journey.
I am struggling to find my rights as a father over the internet and forums to see what I can do about her moving away, as this is going to effect the amount of time I see my daughter. Currently I am seeing her four hours on a Wednesday evening, over night stay from 4pm on Friday till 6pm on Saturday. With my ex moving away my visitations will have to stop on Wednesday as I cannot afford the fuel cost to get there for just over an hour visit, and I will be limited for things to do on a Saturday day due to getting her back for 6pm.
If she moves to Devon which is two and half hour drive, this will get a little worse to a point where I will be doing a round trip of five hours of driving.
My daughter is my world she is daddies little girl and I always feel cut up everytime I hand her over, seeing her less is going to hurt me a lot and I am seriously concerned how this is going to effect my daughter as shes only three years old and my days are routine and this will impact her a lot.
Also am I entitled to any travel allowence through CIA? or any input into how far she is able to move away
Sorry for making this long winded, but I do appriacate any help or advice with my situation.
Many thanks
Hi and welcome to the forum
Unfortunately, there is generally nothing to stop your ex moving anywhere within the UK if she has a good reason for doing so - family, friends etc. The courts will only consider preventing a move if she is doing it to prevent access.
I would suggest that while mediation is going on, you try to get increased access at the weekends to make up for the loss of Wednesdays, and also you want specific periods over school holidays (when she starts school) and alternating on birthdays, xmas etc. and see whether any compromise can be reached on travel costs and who travels
With regards to CSA, presumably you are paying 15% of takehome pay at present. You are allowed to deduct travel costs in excess of £15 per week from your takehome pay before you calculate the 15% - unfortunately, this doesn't go anywhere near what it will cost you in travel. I'm not sure how car costs are calculated - I would argue that it's far more than just the fuel costs - you could see whether the CSA will accept the 45p per mile that the inland revenue allow for mileage costs, assuming you can't reach any agreement on travel costs at mediation.
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