DWP has appointed 12 members to a steering group for the first comprehensive review of PIP
Disabled people will have their voices at the heart of the first ever comprehensive review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with the appointment of 12 members to its steering group. The appointed group members will bring lived experience of disability or long-term health conditions as well as direct experience of working within Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs).
Their expertise covers welfare policy, accessibility and advocacy, with members possessing backgrounds in co-production, governance, and leadership. The group will provide strategic direction and help establish priorities and a work plan for the Timms Review, alongside the Review’s three co-chairs, Minister Sir Stephen Timms, Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE.
The group will examine the role of PIP in enabling disabled people to achieve better health and live independent lives, the PIP assessment criteria for daily living and mobility and how the assessment could provide access to the right support across the benefits system.
PIP claims have surged in recent years. In 2019, there were two million working-age people receiving PIP, but that figure has risen to more than 3.9 million by the end of October 2025.
The DWP said the number of PIP claimants is set to exceed four million by the end of the decade. The objective of the Timms Review is to guarantee PIP remains fair and suitable for the future – reflecting people’s actual conditions and their aspirations and goals, whilst considering societal changes since it was originally designed and launched, reports the Daily Record.
The DWP stated that since PIP was launched in 2013, there have been evolving patterns in long-term health conditions and disability. More people are living with disabilities, but the rise in those receiving disability benefits is twice the rate of increasing prevalence amongst working-age adults in England and Wales.
The Timms Review will deliver its findings to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by Autumn 2026, with an interim update anticipated beforehand. Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said: “Disabled people deserve a system that truly supports them to live with independence and dignity, and that fairly reflects the reality of their lives today.
“That’s why we’re putting disabled people at the heart of this Review – ensuring their voices shape the changes that will help them achieve better health, greater independence, and access to the right support when they need it. We’re delighted to announce the appointment of the steering group members, who alongside myself and the Review’s co-chairs will report back to the Secretary of State in the autumn.”
Co-chair Sharon Brennan said: “The group we have chosen shows our commitment to ensuring this review is co produced with people from a diversity of backgrounds including lived and living experience, protected characteristics, geographies and professions.
“But 15 people can’t represent everyone, which is why our work will be part of a wider engagement process to ensure we hear from many more voices throughout the review.”
Co-chair Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE said: “Personal Independence Payment plays a vital role in enabling disabled people to live independent lives. This Review will listen closely to lived experience, test whether the system is fair, and ensure PIP reflects the realities of disability in the modern world.”
A coalition of charities has welcomed the inclusion of disabled people on the steering group, but cautioned “it cannot become about making cuts”.
The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) – a coalition of over 100 charities, including the MS Society, Scope, Parkinson’s UK and Mencap – stated the review presents an opportunity for “real change” to an assessment system which is “not only stressful, they fail to recognise the impact of fluctuating and progressive conditions like MS – often denying people the support they need to live independently”. Charles Gillies, DBC policy co-chair and senior policy officer at the MS Society, described it as “undeniably positive that most members of the new steering group have lived experience of disability or claiming Pip”.
He added: “This review must now engage meaningfully with the steering group and disabled people more generally, and remain laser-focused on improving the fairness of PIP assessments – or we risk this vital opportunity being wasted. And crucially, it cannot become about making cuts.”
What comes next
The steering group’s work has already begun. After an informal introductory call and induction session in January 2026, the coming weeks will feature:
- the first formal steering group meetings.
- the start of detailed co-production and policy work in February.
- preparations for a broader, fully accessible engagement programme beyond the steering group, launching in the spring.
