Four million Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants have been advised to contact their MP as the Timms Review continues to be debated in Parliament. The Labour government established the Timms Review to ensure PIP is fit and fair for the future, but the Cabinet's considerations have sparked fears among disability campaigners.
Benefits and Work, an online forum dedicated to helping Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claimants on incapacity and disability benefits, is among the bodies voicing concern. The DWP is currently testing and trialling Timms Review recommendations at a series of workshops scheduled for September and October. The final report from Sir Stephen Timms has not yet been lodged, and details could still change.
Campaigners question Timms Review process
Benefits and Work has voiced concern over several areas, including a lack of real detail and failure to consult properly. The group states: "So, we are encouraging claimants to begin contacting MPs now, in order to challenge the legitimacy of the whole Timms review process before it is complete."
The organisation argues that co-chairs were recruited through an unexplained process, and that the steering group member selection criteria ruled out most PIP claimants. The steering group members are not representative of most PIP claimants either, the group claims. They also say there has been no general consultation with disabled people, and that Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs) were not involved in creating the Timms Review recommendations.
Workshops criticised for lack of co-production
The Timms Review workshops were not co-produced, according to Benefits and Work, and asked for responses to proposals that were meaningless due to lack of detail. The group says: "It is overwhelmingly clear that disabled people and their organisation did not 'share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends'."
They also note that no detailed proposals will have been consulted on – and probably won't even have been published – prior to the final report being passed to the Secretary of State. The group advises claimants: "You might want to raise some or all of the issues above with your MP."
Benefits and Work argues that the Timms Review final report will likely insist that disabled people were involved at every stage, as a way to gain backbench support. The group's call to action comes as the review process continues, with the final report yet to be submitted and potential changes still possible.
