The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has set out dates for a series of workshops in September and October 2026 as part of a major review of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefit system. The department says it will be speaking to people "across the UK" to gather views and refine recommendations.
Workshops to shape PIP recommendations
PIP provides varying levels of financial support to help cover the extra costs of living with a long-term disability or health condition. As of April 2026, around four million people were claiming the benefit, with numbers expected to rise in coming years.
A Government review of the PIP system is under way, and an interim report published in July 2026 said the current support system is "no longer fit for purpose". The review group is inviting "disabled people and people with long-term health conditions" to take part in 15 workshops "held online and in person across the UK during September and October 2026".
Dates and locations
The workshops will give people in all areas the chance to participate in "discussing, testing and refining the recommendations". No previous experience of Government reviews is needed. The review team will also contact other stakeholders, including organisations representing disabled people, charities and MPs, to test and refine recommendations during the same period.
The full list of workshop dates and locations is:
- September 15 – London – in person
- September 18 – Newcastle/Middlesbrough and surrounding areas – online
- September 22 – Bournemouth – in person
- September 22 – England and Wales all regions – online
- September 24 – Birmingham – in person
- September 25 – South Cardiff – in person
- September 29 – Norwich and surrounding areas – online
- September 29 – Glasgow – in person
- September 30 – Bangor – in person
- September 30 – England and Wales all regions – online
- October 1 – Belfast – in person
- October 1 – Liverpool – in person
- October 2 – York and the Humber, in Sheffield – in person
- October 6 – All Scotland – online
- October 7 – All Northern Ireland – online
How to register
The project has already received more than 38,000 responses to its call for evidence, alongside previous workshops and engagement with disabled people, organisations and experts. Registration for the workshops opened on August 12 and closes on August 21 at 5pm. Those selected will be informed by September 4, 2026.
Regarding selection, the DWP states: "Selection will be done randomly but the steering group will review and ensure the people chosen represent a balanced range of characteristics. Where a particular characteristic is under-represented, applicants with that characteristic will be identified from the wider applicant pool and selected at random to fill any gaps."
Feedback from the workshops will be considered by the reviewers as they finalise their recommendations. The ambition is that all conclusions are "grounded in the experiences of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions". PIP payments consist of a daily living part and a mobility part, each with lower or higher rates. Current weekly rates are: Daily Living lower £76.70, higher £114.60; Mobility lower £30.30, higher £80.00.
