As a result of campaigning, some of the previously proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) were removed from the bill.
However, the government’s own poverty analysis shows that despite these concessions, 150,000 of the most vulnerable people would end up in relative poverty as a result.
With 1.3 million people in the UK living with the effects of brain injury – a leading cause of disability – it’s crucial that the impact of these changes are fully considered.
Any changes to PIP will only take place after the welfare minister, Stephen Timms, has conducted a review of the benefits system by Autumn 2026.
We welcome the government’s commitment to co-produce the Timms review with disabled people.
For 27 years co-production has been at the core of how we work at Headway East London with our members – who are experts by experience in brain injury.
We will be reaching out to Stephen Timms – who is also the MP for East Ham – to see how we can contribute to this review.
We have already responded to the Government’s consultation on changes to the welfare system, informed by our members’ experiences. You can see examples of their written responses below.
We highlighted the impact of the proposed changes, as well as the importance of co-producing changes to the benefits system with the people who will be most affected.
We have been building relationships with teams at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) to ensure that our members have a voice in shaping how services are delivered.
We have also contributed to the development of the national Acquired Brain Injury Bill – and we look forward to the publishing of the Action Plan in Autumn 2025.
We will continue to work hard to ensure our members’ voices are represented, and that these policies work together to deliver the best outcomes possible for people living with brain injury.
