The review, led by Sir Stephen Timms, is examining how disability benefits should work in the future after concerns that the current system no longer reflects changes in disability, health and employment patterns. The final report is expected later this autumn.
Review Sets Out Future Principles for PIP Support
The latest update from the Timms Review outlines the principles that will guide its recommendations. According to the review’s co-chairs, PIP will remain a non-means-tested benefit, with cash payments continuing to form the basis of awards.
The update states that payments should reflect the additional costs linked to disability and long-term health conditions. It also identifies possible cost areas that could help determine an individual’s circumstances, including equipment and aids, mobility and transport, clothing, and bedding.
The review was launched after opposition from Labour backbench MPs to previous proposals under Sir Keir Starmer that would have restricted eligibility for PIP. Initial findings from the review said the current benefit system was no longer fit for purpose and was struggling to reflect changes in the way people experience disability and health conditions.
According to figures included in the review update, the number of PIP claimants in England and Wales reached four million by April 2026. Claims linked to mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, including anxiety and depression, increased from 5.9% in 2020 to 8.1% in 2025.
Current PIP payments are based on how difficult a person finds daily living activities and mobility tasks. The daily living element is paid at two rates, with the lower rate at £76.70 a week and the higher rate at £114.60 a week. The mobility element is paid at £30.30 a week for the lower rate and £80 for the higher rate.
Assessment Changes Aim to Reduce Unnecessary Reviews
The review’s emerging recommendations also focus on changing how people are assessed for PIP. The proposed system would begin with a light-touch assessment designed to understand a person’s circumstances and identify the most suitable assessment pathway.
Different pathways would be used depending on an individual’s needs and the evidence available. People with clear evidence of serious conditions, including those receiving end-of-life care, could benefit from a fast-track route.
The update also states that assessments should avoid relying on a single snapshot of someone’s circumstances. Instead, they should consider fluctuating and cumulative effects of disability and long-term health conditions.
According to the review’s co-chairs, Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE, Sharon Brennan and Sir Stephen Timms MP, the next stage will involve testing whether the recommendations are fair, workable and capable of improving people’s experience of receiving PIP.
Disability charity Sense welcomed the focus on improving assessments. Harriet Edwards, the organisation’s Director of Influencing, said research by Sense found that half of disabled people with complex needs who had experienced a benefits assessment described it as humiliating.
The charity said the final review should ensure disability benefits continue to provide support that allows disabled people to live with dignity, while the review team continues to examine how the system can be improved.
