Dr Clenton Farquharson, co-chair of the Timms review, admitted on Radio 4’s In Touch programme this week that the process being used is not “fully or true co-production”. In relation to the forthcoming workshops, he also admitted that the recruitment process “seems very rushed” and that “300 people cannot represent every experience”.
In other comments, Farquharson said the group were looking at what “urgent” changes were needed to PIP and at “what PIP is for and what PIP is not for”.
Farquharson would not be drawn on what issues people joining the September and October workshops would be considering, saying only:
“Our recommendations will be emerging recommendations and we’re still working through them. I would love to bring you solid proposals, but they are emerging thinking around the recommendations that we’ll be looking at: what we’ve heard from the call to evidence around the assessment, the descriptors, the award you know, what PIP is for and what PIP is not for.”
When asked if the claim of co-production is “just a bit of window dressing to offset accusations that disabled people, visually impaired people haven’t been properly involved in the discussion process?” Farquharson responded:
“At the moment co-production is being done with the steering group . . . this isn’t fully or true co-production, we do acknowledge that.”
On the subject of what aspects of PIP might change, he said “We will need to look at what could be you know urgent changes in the current system, what would improve that. We would need to look at what medium and long-term changes need to happen.”
Farquharson explained that after the workshops are completed: “There will be further discussions from the insight and wisdom of disabled people and disabled people’s organisations and charities. Late Autumn is where we need to get the collection of recommendations ready to show the secretary of state.”
Farquharson seemed ready to accept the inadequacy of these final workshops, acknowledging: “We’ve got about three hundred places Peter. We’re saying 300 people cannot represent every experience.”
In relation to the fact that the workshop application process closes on Friday, so people will have to hurry to apply he said “Those timelines we can’t move, So you know, apologise [sic] that that seems very rushed, but we have a timescale to meet.”
The reality is that there is no genuine reason why the whole Timms review has to be so rushed as to discredit its conclusions before they have even been announced, that is simply the preference of the DWP and the Labour government.
There is also absolutely no reason why the proposals should be kept so secret or why there will be absolutely no consultation with disabled people, other than the Timms committee, before they go to the secretary of state for a final decision.
Again, that is simply the preference of the DWP and the Labour government, with which the Timms review committee has been willing to acquiesce.
You can listen to the full episode of In Touch on BBC Sounds.
You can find out more about the Timms review workshops, closing date for applications Friday 21 August 2026 at 5pm.
