Correspondence

The Timms Review: Co-Chair Update, April 2026

Published 30 April 2026

Co-chair update, April 2026 

Dear all, 

We are writing to update you on the progress of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and to share more about how disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, organisations across the UK, and anyone with an interest or expertise can take part in the next stage of the Review. PIP affects people’s everyday lives, independence, and ability to manage extra costs. That is why it is essential that this Review is informed by a diversity of experiences, evidence, and perspectives. 

In our previous letter, available on GOV.UK at The Timms Review: Co-Chair Update, March 2026 - GOV.UK, we provided an update on the work of the steering group, setting out the four themes of the Review. In addition, we announced the launch of the Timms Review’s Call for Evidence, which is available on GOV.UK at Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment: Call for Evidence - GOV.UK. The Call for Evidence is open to responses until 28 May 2026.  

The Call for Evidence is published in a number of accessible formats so that as many people as possible can take part. We encourage you to respond yourself and to continue to share the ask to respond to the Call for Evidence through your networks. We want to hear from the widest possible range of people and organisations so that the Review is shaped by a broad and diverse set of experiences, evidence, and views. 

We emphasised that the Call for Evidence is only the first step in the Review’s wider programme of engagement. The members of the Review’s steering group recognise no single method of engagement and evidence-gathering will allow them to hear every voice. That is why the group has agreed to use a mix of approaches to gather evidence, so that people and organisations can contribute in a way that works for them. A varied approach will ensure that the Review is informed by both lived experience and wider evidence. 

How the Review will gather evidence and engage widely 

It is very important to the steering group that the Review hear from many different perspectives. Our six-part evidence and engagement programme is designed to support people to take part in ways that work for them. This programme will comprise:

1. A Call for Evidence. Our Call for Evidence is already underway. The steering group’s thinking will be informed by the responses received. 

2. Existing data and research. The steering group will consider existing qualitative and quantitative research from the disability sector, experts, and government, so that its work is grounded in a broad base of evidence. 

3. New quantitative survey research. The steering group has commissioned a representative quantitative survey on topics for which the existing evidence base is limited or further insight is needed, working with the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). 

4. Workshop in a box. The steering group will create resources for organisations to run workshops on the Review. These workshops will allow us to capture more in-depth qualitative insights on people’s lived experience of disability and PIP across the UK. 

5. Evidence sessions with experts. The steering group will hear evidence from experts, including people with lived experience of disability and/or relevant professional expertise. The group will consider which experts it wants to engage with and how best to do so, providing an opportunity for deeper, targeted engagement on specific topics. 

6. Deliberative events. Later in the year, a series of deliberative events will be held across the UK to test ideas, explore trade-offs, and refine the Review’s recommendations. 

The steering group believes that using this mixture of methods is essential to the success of the Timms Review. Giving individuals and organisations a variety of ways to take part will help us to reach more people, hear a wider range of perspectives, and build a stronger evidence base for the Review’s recommendations. More details on these methods will be shared in future updates. 

Looking ahead 

The steering group is already delving into its priority themes and will continue to engage with existing evidence on PIP over the coming months. As we move into summer, the Review will begin to receive early findings from its evidence and engagement programme, which will further inform policy analysis and, in turn, emerging recommendations. In the autumn, we hope to enter a period of recommendation testing and refinement. 

The steering group is looking forward to hearing your views, experiences and expertise as the Review continues. As co-chairs, we are grateful for the time, thought and experience people are contributing. We will continue to work to ensure this Review is informed by the widest possible range of voices.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE
Sharon Brennan
Rt Hon. Sir Stephen Timms MP 

Co-chairs of the Timms Review