What is the Timms Review?
The Timms Review, led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms is a review of the whole of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), including the daily living part and the mobility part. It will help the government decide how PIP should work in the future.
The Review is going to cover:
- How PIP supports disabled people and how it should do this in the future.
- How well the eligibility criteria capture the impact of people's conditions. This includes the points system, activities and descriptors in the PIP assessment.
- Whether any other evidence should be considered alongside the assessment.
- How PIP can provide the right amount of support at the right time.
- How PIP gives people access to wider support, such as a Blue Badge or the Motability scheme.
Will the Timms Review help disabled people?
Andy Burnham has committed to easing the cost of living, investing in people's success and helping them to live well, and putting care at the heart of everything the government does.
As we get the final report from this Review, the following questions could help us determine if he is using this opportunity to deliver on those promises:
- Does it give you more hope and certainty about the future?
- Does it give everyone the support and opportunities they need to succeed?
- Does it help us all to live well?
- Does it show care, fairness and respect for everyone?
What is PIP?
PIP is additional income to cover the extra costs people might have as a result of a disability or long-term physical or mental health condition. It is available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, it has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment (ADP).
It is up to you to decide how you need to spend PIP but, as an example, it could be used to pay for support workers, higher energy bills, or specialist mental health support.
This support is vital to help people to live independently, and where possible, it can enable them to work. As a result, whether or not you receive PIP and how much you get is based on your daily living and mobility needs, rather than your income or the amount of money you have saved.
Here are a few examples of how PIP can help people to live independently:
To actually be able to hire a cleaner so that I don't have to worry about it, so that it's just done and I can use my time and energy for other things which don't cause me pain and also make me able to do other things like the campaigning work.
To get taxis if I need to get a taxi, buying prepped food so that I don't have to try and cook from scratch, which is something I love to do, but again, can be extremely painful for me to do.
You get like the subscription like meal delivery boxes and they're like sent to your home. That's something I've relied on in periods as well, where again, it's difficult to get out.
Social Security Scotland have put the values of dignity, fairness and respect at the heart of ADP. The focus is support that reflects your individual needs and circumstances and reduces unnecessary stress.
We're encouraging the UK Government to think about what learnings they could take from ADP, to improve PIP.
How is PIP different to Universal Credit Health?
Instead of covering the extra costs you might have because of a disability or health condition, the Universal Credit health element exists to replace income that you can't earn because your health condition limits your ability to work.
If a health condition or disability limits how much work you can do for longer than 28 days, you may need to have a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). If you are then determined to have limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), you are entitled to the health element of Universal Credit.
This support is essential for making sure we can all make ends meet when we're not well enough to work.
How should PIP support people?
PIP should help people meet the extra costs of disability, so they can take part in everyday life.
The charity Scope found that disabled households need an extra £1,095 each month on average, just to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households1. This can include, extra transport costs, care, practical support for cooking or cleaning, higher bills or help with attending activities, appointments or volunteering.
Our Co-Production Partners with lived experience of the social security system tell us that PIP payments mean they have more freedom, autonomy and flexibility. One of the strengths of PIP is that it is a cash payment which allows you to use PIP in a way that works for you.
Our Co-Production Partners told us how PIP has improved their lives:
I have the power to make decisions on the way that I want to live my life.
I can use my time and energy for other things which don't cause me pain.
The assessment process should be simple and compassionate. Anyone applying for PIP should be treated with dignity and respect. That means simpler forms, fewer unnecessary assessments, and training to make sure assessors understand people's disabilities and illnesses.
We know that in Scotland, the values of dignity, fairness and respect are at the heart of Adult Disability Payment (ADP). The focus is support that reflects your individual needs and circumstances and reduces unnecessary stress. During the Timms Review, we're recommending that the government takes learnings from this model, to improve PIP.
How can we make sure our social security system builds a better future for all of us?
Most of us will need the social security system at some point in our lives. When we do, we should be able to trust that support will be there for us and that we will be treated with dignity and respect.
That's why Turn2us is campaigning for our government to make decisions that support our society as a whole and invest in a better future for everyone. But we need your help.
A system that treats people with dignity and respect is a system that works. And together we can show the government why the priority should be to make us feel safe and confident to try new opportunities and live independently.
1 Scope (2025). Disability price tag. Disability Price Tag 2025 | Disability charity Scope UK