The Timms review has finally revealed its plans for a radical reform of personal independence payment (PIP) in which awards will be based on additional costs for items such as equipment, bedding and transport. The proposals bear a remarkable similarity to those included in the infamous Conservative Green Paper published in 2024.
The Timms review September update, published last night, included details of the issues that will be put to the shaping recommendations workshops set to run from 15 September to 7 October.
Improving the current system
Some of the proposals relate to improving the current PIP system. These include such things as:
- Reducing unnecessary award reviews
- Improving the PIP2 form
- Making DWP communications more respectful
- Introducing an advocacy service to support PIP claims
- Improving how PIP assesses fluctuating conditions
Some of the suggestions would be welcome improvements, but many are ill-defined and will be difficult to measure.
Radical reform
However, the changes to the current system appear to be designed simply to improve matters whilst a radically different method of deciding PIP awards is developed.
The recommendations for a reformed PIP award are that:
“the award will be non-means-tested
“cash will remain the foundation of the award
“some awards will also include services, and offer other non-cash support
“the award will contribute fairly to the extra costs that arise from disability and long-term health conditions and reflect fluctuating and cumulative impacts
“cost categories used to discuss the person’s circumstances, and therefore determine their award, could include equipment and aids; mobility and transport; clothing and bedding.
“people will be signposted to further relevant information and support”
What this appears to mean is that instead of the current points system, which assesses what difficulties claimants have with daily living activities and mobility, the proposed PIP system would look at what extra costs claimants have as a result of their condition.
It will be these “cost categories” that determine their award.
And whilst the recommendations make it clear that cash will remain the “foundation” of PIP awards, they do seem to suggest that for some conditions a proportion of the cash may be replaced by “services”, and “non-cash support”.
The cost of being prevented from accessing employment is not mentioned anywhere in the categories.
It seems likely that such a system would especially disadvantage claimants with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, where costs are harder to quantify.
Conservative proposals
The Timms review recommendations seem to have a great deal in common with the April 2024 Conservative consultation “Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper”.
In that document, DWP secretary of state Mel Stride pointed out that in New Zealand people “provide estimates of their additional costs (eg.£50 per month for physiotherapy), which are then approved for an ongoing award”. Meanwhile, in Denmark “awards for extra costs are determined on a case-by-case basis and issued by local government”.
The 2024 Green Paper asked respondents to rank additional costs including:
- equipment and aids
- transport costs
- energy and utility costs
- food
- clothing, footwear and bedding
- personal assistance
The Timms recommendations suggest that cost categories used to determine awards could include:
- equipment and aids
- mobility and transport
- clothing and bedding
The Conservative Green Paper also pointed out that various extra costs may already be being met by other provision and are thus duplicated, giving the example “people receiving the daily living component of PIP and who require aids such as walking sticks may have them supplied by the NHS.”
The Conservative document then went on to ask whether support for some people ought not to be cash but instead “improved access to healthcare (such as mental health provision or physiotherapy) or enhanced local authority support (such as care packages, respite or home adaptations).”
The Timms review recommendations are, at this point, much less open and detailed than the Conservative proposals were, but the similarity with the Conservative vision for a new PIP benefit are unmistakable.
Current PIP claimants
The Timms review remains utterly silent on whether current PIP claimants will be affected by the proposed changes. But its terms of reference are very clear that “the Review will consider how recommendations might be applied to reassessments for people already claiming PIP to ensure it is fair and fit for both new and existing claimants”.
So, for the moment, we cannot rule out current claimants being subject to any new system.
What we can rule out, however, is any such changes being brought in quickly or without a great deal of new primary legislation.
So, for those readers who are troubled by these proposals, there will be many opportunities ahead to challenge them. And here at Benefits and Work, we will do our best to support those who choose to do so.
You can read the full Timms Review: co-chair update, September 2026 here.
