Disabled people will have their perspectives placed at the heart of the inaugural comprehensive examination of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) following the selection of 12 members to its steering committee.

The assembled group will contribute lived experience of disability or chronic health conditions alongside direct involvement with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs).

Their expertise encompasses welfare policy, accessibility and advocacy, with members possessing backgrounds in co-production, governance, and leadership. The committee will offer strategic guidance and assist in establishing priorities and a work programme for the Timms Review, working with the Review’s three co-chairs, Minister Sir Stephen Timms, Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE.

The committee will examine PIP’s role in enabling disabled people to achieve improved health and lead independent lives, the PIP assessment criteria for daily living and mobility and how the assessment could facilitate access to appropriate support throughout the benefits system.

PIP applications 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 projected to surpass four million by the end of the decade. The objective of the Timms Review is to guarantee PIP remains equitable and suitable for the future – acknowledging the reality of peoples’ conditions and their aspirations and objectives, whilst considering societal changes since its original conception and implementation, reports the Daily Record.

The DWP said that since PIP’s launch in 2013, there have been evolving patterns in long-term health conditions and disability. Greater numbers are living with disabilities, yet 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 progress report 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 more than 100 charities, including the MS Society, Scope, Parkinson’s UK and Mencap – described the review as 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, characterised it as “undeniably positive that most members of the new steering group have lived experience of disability or claiming Pip”.

He continued: “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.