“It is vital that as many people as possible have the chance to contribute,” said Sir Stephen Timms as the Government opened a nationwide call for evidence into Personal Independence Payment (PIP) today, Thursday 19 March. The window closes at 11.59pm on Thursday 28 May, and submissions are welcome from disabled people, carers, clinicians, advisers and organisations across the North. (gov.uk)

The Timms Review is asking whether PIP still reflects how disability affects daily life in 2026 and whether the assessment fairly directs support. A 15‑member steering group has shaped the engagement, and the Review is due to report in the autumn. For many readers from Carlisle and Blackpool to Bradford and Sunderland, this is the first formal chance to help set the terms of change. (gov.uk)

PIP supports nearly four million people in England and Wales, and DWP’s latest annual figures showed around 3.7 million claimants as of early 2025. The House of Commons Library has also published constituency‑level dashboards so readers can see the local picture-useful for making evidence‑rich submissions from Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and the North East. (gov.uk)

Co‑chairs Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE and Sharon Brennan say lived experience must lead the work. Farquharson stresses that any discussion of PIP’s future must “begin with those who live with its realities every day,” while Brennan says the call is just the start, with wider ways to take part to follow. (gov.uk)

Evidence is invited on whether PIP is meeting its purpose; whether the assessment gives fair access to the right support; how claimant experience varies for different groups, conditions and ages; and how changes in work and society since 2013 should shape the benefit. Put plainly: what works, what doesn’t, and what needs fixing. (gov.uk)

The timing lands amid pressure to improve services. Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee recently branded waits for PIP decisions “unacceptable”, noting cases dragging on for over a year, and highlighted the need to modernise systems-context that underlines why honest testimony from Northern claimants and caseworkers matters now. (committees.parliament.uk)

How to take part: complete the online form on GOV.UK during the window that runs from 8.00am today. If you need a different format-web‑accessible PDF, large print, BSL, audio or easy read-email timmsreview.callforevidence@dwp.gov.uk. Individuals and organisations can respond; young people are explicitly encouraged to contribute. (gov.uk)

What to include in your response: concrete examples of extra costs (travel, equipment, heating), how assessments worked (or didn’t), what evidence you were asked for, and any barriers specific to our region-such as long trips to assessments or patchy public transport-that affect access to PIP. Keep it practical and draw on real cases. (gov.uk)

Note for cross‑border readers: Scotland has replaced PIP with Adult Disability Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland. Even so, UK organisations, clinicians and elected representatives can submit evidence to this Review, which covers PIP in England and Wales. (gov.uk)

Updates from the co‑chairs will follow during the engagement period, and the Review’s final recommendations are due in autumn 2026. We’ll keep signposting Northern readers to local sessions and advice as they’re announced; for now, the ask is simple-tell the Review what PIP looks like where you live. (gov.uk)