AdviceUK welcomes the Timms Review interim report’s finding that the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process is “dehumanising” and “degrading”, saying it reflects what free and independent advice services have been seeing for years.
The UK’s largest network of independent advice organisations says the current PIP system places an enormous burden not only on disabled people but also on the advice services supporting them. Around 60% of AdviceUK members provide welfare benefits advice, with PIP-related cases accounting for the largest share of this work and driving a significant proportion of demand for already overstretched services.
Every day, free advice services help people navigate lengthy application forms, repeated requests for medical evidence, and confusing communication from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). AdviceUK members report that the current system is particularly difficult for people with fluctuating conditions, invisible disabilities, mental health conditions and learning disabilities, whose lived experiences are often poorly reflected in assessments.
AdviceUK member organisation, Friends, Families and Travellers, based in Brighton, said that the most common problems their advisers see, when assisting people claiming PIP, include assessment summaries claiming that the client “didn’t appear to be in pain” and that when considering disabilities that “are not [severe] for the majority of days[, they] are completely disregarded.”
AdviceUK members say that much of the pressure on advice services isn’t necessarily from the complexity of people’s circumstances, but from the complexity of the PIP system itself. Advisers tell AdviceUK that many clients experience the PIP system as punitive rather than supportive, creating unnecessary distress, uncertainty and financial insecurity, rather than supporting people to live independently and with dignity.
AdviceUK agrees that the current PIP system is not working for disabled people and requires “fundamental change”. But the charity urges ministers to rule out crude cuts to disability support, warning that reform must focus on improving people’s experience of the system rather than reducing access to support.
Liz Bayram, Chief Executive of AdviceUK, said:
“The Timms Review interim findings confirm what free and independent advice services have been telling us for years: the current PIP system is too often complex, distressing, and does not work for many disabled people.
“Every day, our members in the free and independent advice sector support people through lengthy forms, repeated requests for evidence, and confusing assessment processes that can be particularly challenging for people with fluctuating conditions, invisible disabilities, mental health conditions and learning disabilities. Much of our advisers’ time is spent helping people navigate a system that should be supporting them, not creating further obstacles to living independently and with dignity.
“We welcome the Review’s commitment to creating a fairer and more accessible system. But reform must not become a political euphemism for crude cuts. The next phase must be co-designed with disabled people and the free and independent advice services that support them every day. Their experience is essential to building a system that is fair, practical, and fit for purpose.”
ENDS//
Notes to Editors
About AdviceUK:
AdviceUK is a national charity and the largest network of independent advice centres in the UK, delivering free specialist advice to millions of people each year on a diverse range of issues. Run by and for our over 700 members, we provide support, a community and development opportunities for members, as well as a voice on issues that affect them.
AdviceUK’s response to the Timms Review called for reforms to improve the fairness, accessibility and administration of PIP, including better recognition of fluctuating and invisible conditions, greater use of existing medical evidence and simpler application processes: https://www.adviceuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AdviceUK-submission-Timms-Review-of-Personal-Independence-Payment.pdf
Press contacts:
Press office email: press@adviceuk.org.uk or 07955 296206
