Note: The following contains personal experience and it may be a little heavy going. I continue being a PIP claimant and have the requisite health conditions but I am in a better place today.

That's the doom-monger's take on it. The reality is now, thankfully, a little more nuanced. If The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill (colloq. Welfare Bill) reaches Royal Assent, which no seems more likely then current PIP claimants will continue getting what they currently get. Claims made between now and November 2026 will be assessed under the existing rules. New claimants from November 2026 will be assessed under the new rules.

One thing I'm not clear on, and this does affect me, is how existing claimants are dealt with when their claim is up for its periodic reassessment. If that assessment is after November 2026 will it be old or new rules?

Ultimately this bill, when it comes to PIP, is tinkering. From what I've read the only change will be the requirement to score 4 points for one of the Daily Living component tasks. There are 10 tasks that have scores ranging from 0 to 12 points. 8-11 points in total from all tasks are required to receive the standard rate of Daily Living PIP. 12 pints or more for the enhanced rate. Mobility PIP eligibility criteria isn't changing at all as far as I can tell.

What this bill doesn't address in any way shape or form is the claim process and periodic reassessments. These will continue to be farmed out to private companies who don't give a shit about individual claimants' needs. They are box tickers doing the DWPs bidding and only care about preserving their lucrative contracts and 'performance' bonuses. They employ healthcare 'professionals' who are often anything but. These assessors very often don't have any training in the disciplines needed to understand and accurately assess individual claimants health issues. A real world example:

I was once reassessed by a healthcare professional whose day job was as a paramedic. A worthy, highly skill profession for which I have the utmost respect. But being a paramedic does not provide you with the skills to assess how mental health and mobility affect one's daily living. The training given to PIP assessors is woeful and doesn't magically equip them with the right skills for each claimant. For my reassessment I had provided as much evidence from the actual professionals involved in my care as I could. I'd completed the form with the assistance of a welfare benefits adviser. The result of my assessment with the paramedic? I went from scoring 10 points for Daily Living at my previous assessment to 0 at this one. Despite there being no change in my health conditions as evidenced in reports from my GP, a CPN and the community MH Team. That was all ignored and all that was taken into account was the report from the DWP's (well... Serco's) moonlighting healthcare 'professional'. My income was immediately cut by more than half. My mental health took a serious dive over the next nine months. I was forced into looking for work when I wasn't suited to it. Two complete breakdowns led to two resignations. Suicide ideation became suicide planning and there was one serious attempt. During the nine months between losing my PIP and my tribunal appearance I gathered all paperwork related to my claim, including the healthcare 'professionals' report. Which, incidentally, got to me unredacted. That's how I know my 'professional' was a paramedic, as the DWP/Serco had accidentally provided me with all her personal and professional information. Her report was 'shoddy' and 'contained irrelevant information' according to the welfare benefits adviser I showed it to. She concentrated far too much on my physical capabilities. Didn't question me in any great depth on my mental health issues, and didn't allow me to bring them to her attention. The report said I was late. I wasn't, she was. She'd had transport issues and arrived 20 minutes after my appointment time - the first of the day. The report said I was rude and combative. I was stressed, made worse by the delay. That may have made me somewhat curt but she gave as good as she got. And none of that goes on to explain how she came to the conclusions that she did in her report - 0 points for every daily living task. My only explanation was it was punishment for my curtness and attempts to ask questions on the day.

At my tribunal, the panel gave me 9 points, reinstated my claim for daily living PIP and backdated the award. A relief yes and a nice lump sum. But not really recompense for what I went through during that period. Had things gone just a little bit differently I wouldn't have made it to that tribunal.

 

As someone with a recognised disability, I can update

Nobody will have their benefit cut. Anyone currently on PIP will not be impacted
New guidelines that will impact any new claims come in, in November 2026

Sadly, as always people look at false scenarios rather than facts

 
Good to hear - but that is a Wiltshire unitary idea, no? By that I mean unique to Wiltshire & not a legal requirement for all unitaries?

 

It can get quite complex.   We are a unitary here in Wiltshire and they do most of the highways and footways.  However, there's also something called the LHFIG in each town - the local highways and footpath improvement group - which is part funded by Unitary, part funded by the local community, and does (after intense procrastination, consultancy, time and paperwork, and if it fits the politics of local councillors) make relatively minor adjustments.

 
Highways & footways are generally a County matter outside London, unless a unitary.

 

There are multiple issues for those less mobile getting around - financial, physical and emotional.  And whilst everyone is different, there is a theme that for most of us getting around for social, personal business and also physical exercise makes sense.    Far bigger subject here than benefit cut.  As it happens, I asked a question of Melksham Town Council last night https://grahamellis.uk/blog1638.html


I have been asking around ... drawn something of a blank.  A handful of options around the periphery to specific elements but no co-ordinating group, and a statement that the importance was appreciated by the Town Council from the recently appointed CEO without any commitment I heard to actually follow it through beyond words. I had expected to hear comment from my Wiltshire Councillor, as he's also a Town Councillor, but he wasn't present  even though it was a full council meeting.   Perhaps I will be surprised and someone will pick this up ... or do we need a local group to co-ordinate and push for all of those who need a little bit of extra support and consideration?

 
I don't have any disability issues,but I do feel for those who do and who try to get out and about using public transport.

From what I can gather those on PIP's benefit will have their benefits cut,

leading to them having to reduce the amount of times that they will be able to get out and about using public transport.

https://dpac.uk.net/2025/06/liverpool-protest-stop-disability-benefits-cuts-bill/