Andy Burnham is seriously considering reforms to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system as the Timms Review readies its comprehensive recommendations for submission to the new Labour Party Prime Minister and Chancellor John Healey this autumn.
An interim report has already been filed, with a more detailed analysis and set of recommendations expected later this year. Jonny Phillips, managing director at Strive, emphasises that employment support must extend beyond merely helping individuals find jobs. Instead, he advocates for programmes that facilitate sustained employment and genuine workforce integration.
Phillips states, “We want to see more support for initiatives that help people move into lasting work, rather than just enrolling them onto training courses. Funding should reward providers who can demonstrate that learners are obtaining and retaining real jobs. The system needs to value the support enabling these outcomes, not just focus on the outcomes themselves.”
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Importantly, Phillips highlights that individuals receiving disability or health-related benefits, including those on PIP, should not automatically be considered unable to work. However, he cautions against pushing these individuals into unsuitable jobs. “The right approach involves personalised support, realistic job matching, and employers willing to accommodate reasonable adjustments.”
According to Phillips, facilitating the return to work for disabled and health-impaired individuals can generate significant benefits for both communities and the economy. “If the Government seeks economic growth, it cannot rely solely on high-level investments and productivity strategies. It must also engage adults currently outside the workforce, who could contribute meaningfully with the right assistance—a substantial opportunity for widespread growth.”
Phillips further suggests that grant funding should be more precisely targeted at those who require extensive support beyond basic CV workshops. This group includes the long-term unemployed, people over 50, lone parents, individuals with low confidence, those with learning difficulties, people lacking digital skills, and those with health conditions or disabilities.
Amid these discussions, Labour peer Lord Blunkett has acknowledged Burnham’s willingness to impose work-related conditions on benefits for young people and consider limiting some entitlements. Burnham has previously advocated reducing the welfare bill through enhanced education, mental health services, and job support instead of “crude cuts.” Nevertheless, Blunkett admitted, “There’ll need to be very difficult decisions about entitlement. It’s about what people need, not simply whether they need money.”