The DWP PIP review by Stephen Timms is under increased scrutiny

A group of anti-poverty, disability, and carer charities have sent an open letter to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) minister Stephen Timms, ahead of his review into Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The letter urges for Timms to commit to genuine co-production with disabled people – rather than exclusionary and predetermined policy-making from on high.

DWP PIP review: charities call on Timms to commit to genuine co-production

Turn2Us, a charity that offers practical help to people struggling financially, has spearheaded the effort. A number of prominent nonprofits and campaigning organisations have added their names to the call. It includes groups such as Z2K, Amnesty International, Carers UK, the Disability Benefits Consortium, among others.

The letter demands that Timms does the DWP PIP consultation differently – avoiding the top-down failures of the recent Universal Credit bill, and avoiding a repeat of the previous Conservative government’s unlawful Work Capability Assessment (WCA) consultation.

It points out that genuine consultation is about more than “mere presence at the table”. For Timms’ review to be meaningful, it argues:

It means working with disabled people and their organisations in shaping the scope, process and outcomes of the review.

It values people not just as service users but as experts in their own experience – able to reflect critically, ask powerful questions and help design solutions that work in the real world.

It warns that without a “robust, inclusive and transparent” process from start to finish, disabled communities cannot trust the review. Therefore, it has set out a series of four practical steps the government must take ensure its success.

Meaningful co-production would look like…

The Campaign for Disability Justice is highlighting the call. It has summed up the letter’s demands over the DWP PIP review to its supporters. Notably, it has laid out that for the review to be credible and trusted, the following is what the letter argues meaningful co-production needs to include:

1. Broad and balanced representation.

The review group should be majority-led by disabled people and Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs). It must also reflect the diversity of the disabled community, including people with lived experience of the benefits system, those living in poverty, and people from minority groups.

It should also include carers and welfare rights advisers to bring vital on-the-ground perspectives.

2. Monitoring and evaluation of the co-production process.

The DWP PIP review must put a procedure in place to regularly check whether the process is truly inclusive and transparent.

Alongside this, the department must publish a final independent evaluation, including anonymous feedback, before MPs debate the review’s outcome.

3. Commitment to full transparency.

Building on this, the department should publish a final report summarising engagement and consultation, with minutes from meetings and details of how the review was run. This openness will help rebuild trust among disabled people and reassure MPs that the process has been rigorous.

4. Meaningful parliamentary scrutiny.

The government must go further than a simple statement or debate. MPs should have the opportunity to debate and vote on a substantive motion, ensuring proper accountability and oversight.

An opportunity to do things differently and repair trust

Overall, the letter states that the Timms DWP PIP review is an opportunity for the government to repair trust with disabled disabled people.

To restore it, Timms must commit to properly consult disabled people on the decisions that will affect their lives. Crucially, it underscores that the review:

is an important opportunity to do things differently – to demonstrate a new commitment to transparency, participation, and policy grounded in real experience.

Featured image via the Canary