Disability Rights UK has raised major concerns over the Timms Review’s draft recommendations for PIP eligibility changes
Some disabled people could be treated less favourably under proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment, campaigners have warned.
Disability Rights UK raised concerns about plans for a revamped PIP system after the Timms Review published its draft recommendations. The organisation said there were some positives in the proposals, including a commitment that PIP will remain a non-means-tested benefit. But it warned there were ‘major concerns’ about plans which could see the benefit move away from being entirely cash-based. The review states that ‘cash will remain the foundation of the award’, but adds that ‘some awards will also include services and other non-cash support’.
This could mean some people being offered services or other forms of support rather than receiving the full value of their award in cash. The proposals include dividing support into ‘cost categories’, with examples including ‘equipment and aids; mobility and transport; clothing and bedding’.
Disability Rights UK said the language used in the draft recommendations was ‘vague and ambiguous’ and left ‘much room for speculation and interpretation’ over whether some disabled people would be treated less favourably than others.
It is particularly concerned about people with conditions which may be less visible or harder to assess. The organisation pointed to the forthcoming Fonagy report on ADHD, mental health and invisible impairments.
It also highlighted the Government’s recent £3million plan for community mental health support, saying this raised questions over whether groups who already struggle to qualify for PIP could be negatively affected by the proposed reforms.
The campaigners said: “The problem of vague language and proposals runs throughout the draft recommendations.”
They also highlighted what they described as ‘almost complete silence’ on a proposed new eligibility framework for a replacement for PIP. There is also no indication, they said, of whether a new benefit would apply to existing claimants as well as new applicants.
One proposal is for a ‘light touch’ initial assessment, which Disability Rights UK fears could become a ‘tick-box exercise’ that divides impairment groups and sends people down different application pathways. The review does contain a series of proposals designed to improve the experience of applying for and receiving PIP.
These include better guidance, more respectful language, improved reasonable adjustments and an advocacy service for people who need help navigating the system. There are also plans to reform assessments and decision-making, including a new PIP assessment framework to govern how decisions are made and appealed.
The review recommends greater transparency around decisions and a review of how supporting evidence is used. Disability Rights UK said the proposed move towards improving support for people with fluctuating impairments would be welcomed by many.
It said the current points-based system ‘doesn’t capture the needs of people with fluctuating conditions’. The warning comes amid evidence that the public may not support cutting disability benefits.
The latest NatCen Social Attitudes Survey, published on September 8, found that 49% of the public believe there should be more spending on disability benefits, even if this led to higher taxes. Only 7% backed reducing disability benefit spending.
The report said the findings suggested that proposals to reduce disability benefit spending ‘could carry political risks’.
Disability Rights UK said this should be a ‘wake-up call for Government and the media to stop the continued and unfounded attacks on Disabled people and the welfare bill’.
It called instead for a social security system that is ‘fair and truly meets our needs’. The organisation also highlighted research involving 2,000 PIP recipients. Only 16% said PIP covered all of their additional costs.
Separate research into the so-called Activity Trap found that 80% of disabled people were worried about being physically active because they feared losing their benefits. Campaigners say this fear can discourage disabled people from taking part in activities because they worry that doing so could be interpreted as evidence that they no longer need support.
Disability Rights UK and the Activity Trap study back the Commission on Social Security’s proposed Additional Costs Disability Payment as an alternative to PIP. They say it should retain a payment, regardless of employment status, which helps cover the additional costs disabled people face because of ‘living in an inaccessible society’.
They also want ‘adversarial, tick-box assessments’ replaced with personalised support and independent advocacy. And they argue that ‘proper financial support – paid in cash’ should be linked to a wider vision of dignity, independent living and full participation in society.
Sophia Kleanthous, Campaigns and Policy Officer at Disability Rights UK, said: “The Government has consistently failed to properly include Disabled People’s Organisation’s in decisions and processes that affect us.”
She also criticised the lack of notice given over ‘significant updates and decisions during the Timms Review process’. She said the Government had failed to ‘co-produce any part of the Review with DPOs despite promises to do so’.
The next stage will see the draft recommendations considered by disabled people, disabled people’s organisations and charities through a series of round-table discussions.
![Who's your favorite girl in Digital Circus? [Money Money Green green meme] #shorts #trend](https://wordupnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1771002718_maxresdefault-80x80.jpg)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login