A review into PIP will take place in autumn 2026
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an update for plans to review Personal Independence Payments (PIP). The body revealed it will be appointing a number of disability experts who will lead the first-ever PIP review, in order to place disabled people’s voices at the centre of the discussion.
The 12-member steering group will work alongside three co-chairs to look at the role of PIP, ensuring it is fair and fit for the future when it is reviewed as part of the Timms Review in autumn.
Experts appointed will bring lived experience of disability or long-term health conditions as well as direct experience of working within Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs). The steering group’s experience will span welfare policy, accessibility and advocacy, with members also having a background in co-production, governance, and leadership.
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The review will look at providing strategic direction and will help to set priorities and a work plan for the Timms Review. Members of the group will look at the role of PIP in allowing disabled people to achieve better health and live independent lives; the PIP assessment criteria; and how the assessment could provide access to the right support across the benefits system.
The steering group will work on these points alongside the Review’s three co-chairs, Minister Sir Stephen Timms, Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. The Timms Review will then report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.
Commenting on the update, 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.”
On the appointment of the steering group members, 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 added: “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.”
The appointed steering group members for the Timms Review
- Dr Mark Brookes MBE, Advocacy Lead, Dimensions UK
- George Fielding, Disability rights advocate and Non-Executive Advisor
- Tara Flood, Head of Co-production, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
- Mark Fosbrook, Disability Inclusion Manager, West Midlands Combined Authority
- Ben Geiger, Professor of Social Science and Health, King’s College London
- Katrina Gilman, National Officer for Disability Equality, UNISON
- Jean-André Prager, Senior Fellow, Policy Exchange and Director, Flint Global
- Dr Lucy Reynolds, Chair of Board of Trustees, Disability North, and Founder, We Are All Disabled CIC
- Dr Felix Shi, Lecturer in Management, Bangor University
- Dr Dharshana Sridhar, Head of Public Affairs, Spinal Injuries Association
- Phil Stevens, CEO, Disability Action Haringey, and Chair of the Board of Trustees, Disability Action in Islington
- Leila Talmadge, Founder and former Director, Autistic Knowledge Development CIC