Turn2us calls for co-production in Timms Review
Turn2us joins forces with other charities to write open letter calling for genuine co-production as part of the Timms Review.
- Published
- 26/02/2026
Last summer, the government committed to co-producing the Timms Review, which aims to support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.
At Turn2us, we are urging the government to use this opportunity to consider how to make the process of accessing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) simpler and more compassionate, including following Social Security Scotland's lead on prioritising a positive claimant experience.
Embedding lived experience is crucial to get changes to our social security system right, which is why we are working with our co-production partners to deliver our campaign to make sure any upcoming reforms to social security have dignity and respect at the heart.
Now that the Timms Review is underway, we have joined Z2K and other disabled people, charities and Disabled People's Organisations to write an open letter to Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, and the Review’s co-chairs, setting out recommendations to ensure that genuine co-production is delivered throughout the review.
Done well, this approach represents an opportunity to rebuild trust in the DWP and the wider social security system.
Lucy Bannister from Turn2us says:
"Our research shows that the PIP assessment can cause real harm, which is why we welcome this review and its commitment to co-production.
"However, real co-production requires time and planning from all involved if people’s voices are to genuinely shape the Review. We are therefore asking the government to set out, as soon as possible, when and how charities and disabled people beyond the steering group will be able to take part, so that we can prepare to contribute meaningfully.
"Getting this right is essential to rebuilding trust in the DWP and the wider social security system."
Read our open letter
Dear Co-chairs,
Appointment of Timms Review steering group
We are writing as disabled people who receive PIP and on behalf of charities and disabled people's organisations following your recent update letter for February 2026.
We welcome the announcement that the Timms Review is getting underway. The Review, which the government committed to co-produce with disabled people during the passage of the Universal Credit Act through Parliament, provides an opportunity to rebuild trust in the DWP and social security system. Getting co-production right is a vital part of that process. As you note, this is the first time the UK government has undertaken co-production on this scale, and we are committed to helping to ensure its success.
We are encouraged by your recent announcement of the Review steering group's membership. We particularly welcome that almost all members have lived experience of disability or long-term health conditions, and that care has been taken to ensure a diverse group. It's clear that you have appointed a passionate, dedicated and expert group with a commitment to disability rights and equality.
However, as you rightly acknowledge, no group of people on its own can fully reflect the experiences of all disabled people receiving PIP. It will therefore be critical to ensure that the Review engages widely and effectively with a wide range of people who receive this benefit.
We feel it is crucial that your forthcoming programme of engagement prioritises engaging with people who receive both PIP and means-tested benefits. While around one in five people who receive PIP are employed, most PIP claimants also receive means-tested out-of-work benefits.1
More broadly, 28% of disabled people live in poverty.2 This group will be particularly affected by any changes to PIP that arise from the Review – especially those who receive the health element of Universal Credit, which will be linked to PIP under the reformed system.
The lack of clarity about what this engagement will look like is causing concern for some disabled people in this group. Roxie, a member of Z2K's disability benefits expert by experience group who receives both PIP and Universal Credit, said: "For people like me, PIP is not an abstract policy issue. It is what keeps us safe, housed, warm, and able to cope. When a process is presented as fair, transparent and grounded in lived experience, but I cannot see people who rely on PIP to survive reflected at steering level, it creates a deep unease."
Without clarity and advanced notice on timelines and opportunities to contribute, disabled people and organisations cannot prepare or participate meaningfully. Co-production requires transparency and power-sharing, and it is vital that the design of the Review process maintains the trust of disabled people, MPs and other key stakeholders.
We are therefore setting out some constructive suggestions that will help you to ensure that the Review has effective and meaningful engagement, embeds transparency throughout its process, and monitors and evaluates its success. We recommend that you:
- Urgently publish a detailed plan and timetable for the programme of engagement, including advance notice of any questions or topic areas for events or roundtables, to allow disabled people and organisations to prepare.
- Ensure that disabled people who rely on both PIP and means-tested benefits are prioritised in this engagement.
- Regularly publish agendas, workplans and high-level anonymised minutes of Review steering group meetings.
- Publish any internal DWP analysis or data that is presented to or discussed by the Review steering group.
- Publish interim and final evaluation reports to maintain trust throughout the process, and ensure this seeks feedback from both steering group members and disabled people and organisations who have participated in the wider programme of engagement.
The steps outlined above set out practical steps that would meaningfully strengthen the Review, increase confidence among disabled people, and help ensure its conclusions are robust, credible and rooted in lived experience.
We welcome the positive indications so far about how the Review is being taken forward, particularly the emphasis you have placed on co-production and transparency. We look forward to engaging with you as this work develops and to supporting a process that delivers reforms disabled people can trust.
We ask that you share this letter with all members of the Review steering group.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Washington, Interim Director of Income & External Affairs, Turn2us
Rose Grayston, Interim Director of Policy & Engagement, Z2K
Turn2us Campaign Co-Production Group
Z2K disability benefits expert by experience group
Jenny Hurst, Independent Living Coordinator, Action Disability Kensington and Chelsea (ADKC)
Sue Millman, Chief Executive, Ataxia UK
Dr Helne Bulbeck, Director of Policy and Services, Brainstrust
Paula Peters, Disability Rights Activist, Bromley & Croydon Disabled People Against Cuts
Nicola Burgess, CEO, Bromley Experts by Experience
Andrew Clark, Chair of Trustees, BuDS Disability Service
Patrick O'Dowd, Director, Caritas Salford
Simone Aspis, Changing Perspectives
Geoff Fimister, Co-Chair, Disability Benefits Consortium
Jo Mitchell, Senior Welfare Benefits Adviser, Disability Law Service
Vici Richardson, Chief Executive, Disability North
Jess Tait, Policy and Communications Manager, Disability Positive
Fazilet Hadi MBE, Head of Policy, Disability Rights UK
Linda Burnip, Co-Founder, Disabled People Against Cuts
Rachael Tomlinson, Chair of Publicity Group and Joint Chair Steering Group, End Social Care Disgrace
Bill Blackwood, Actor, Equity
Tom Peters, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Equity
Natalie Amber, Actor/Dancer, Equity Deaf and Disabled members committee
Chris Brill, CEO, Expert Link
Amanda Grace, Factory of Love
Abigail Wood, CEO, Gingerbread
Paula Ojok, Chief Executive, Helplines Partnership
Caroline Collier, CEO, Inclusion Barnet & the Campaign for Disability Justice
Sabine Goodwin, Director, Independent Food Aid Network
Paul Bristow, Chief Executive, Kidney Care UK
Dr Dylan Murphy, Kirklees and Calderdale ME Support Group (personal capacity)
Nimrod Ben-Cnaan, Head of Policy and Profile, Law Centres Network
Jackie O'Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy & Influence, Mencap
Brian Dow, CEO, Mental Health UK
Tom Pollard, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns, Mind
Charlotte Gill, Head of Campaigns and Public Affairs, MS Society
Jill Hamilton, Head of Policy and Health Services, National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society
Andrea Brown, Chief Executive, National Kidney Federation
Thomas Stephens, Senior Fellow, New Economics Foundation
Juliet Tizzard, Director of External Relations, Parkinson's UK
Andrew Lee, People First
Deven Ghelani, CEO, Policy in Practice
Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness
Lucy Byrne, Chief Executive, Richmond AID
Jane Green MBE, Chair, SEDSConnective
Ella Smith, Welfare Rights Policy Lead, The ME Association
Nick Carroll, Chief Executive Officer, Together for Short Lives
Transport for All
Helen Barnard, Director of Policy and Research, Trussell
Dr Sara Reis, Interim Director, UK Women's Budget Group
Ciaran Stewart
Daneka Etchells
Tracy Jones