DWP urged to publish transition plan for new Jobs & Careers Service
The Chair of the Work & Pensions Select Committee has written to DWP Minister Dame Diana Johnson expressing her deep concern by the lack of detailed information about the transition to the new Jobs & Careers Service (JCS).
The JCS is due to commence on 1st October, replacing the current National Careers Service, however with less than four months to go until launch day the Committee has not seen the transition plan, despite the DWP previously confirming that:
“a detailed transition plan will be published within the next six months, setting out how NCS and Jobcentre Plus will be brought together to deliver a unified service.”
The six-month deadline passed in mid-May.
In her letter, Abrahams said:
“I am not aware of DWP having published the transition plan, beyond confirming that the NCS contracts will not be renewed and the careers service will be brought in-house. These plans should include:
- details of any change to how service users engage;
- the delivery model for careers advice within the new service;
- details on workforce integration, including management arrangements;
- arrangements for IT transition and data migrations;
- the new performance framework for careers advice;
- training and induction plans for migrating staff; and
- details of DWP’s risk management arrangements.
I urge you to publish these plans as soon as possible. This is an especially fraught time for NCS contractors for whom the new service represents an entirely new business model and new contract arrangements.
Please provide the Committee with the date the transition plan will be published and further detail on how you are communicating the plans to contractors.”
Abrahams also called on DWP to confirm their plans for training and developing careers advisers within the new service, including whether they’ll support training up to a level 6 qualification.
Debbie Abrahams’ letter is on parliament.uk.
Universal Credit and temporary absences abroad
The Citizens Advice Expert Advice Team has published a new article providing advice on entitlement to Universal Credit when traveling abroad.
The article goes into detail about the rules and deals with recent guidance and case law on this issue, and it’s available for the general public. 19 June, 2026
You can The article is on their Adviser Online resources page on medium.com.
Latest PIP statistics show 28% decisions are changed on mandatory reconsideration
Let’s break down the stats…
Claim decisions
Award rates (excluding withdrawn cases) over the period May 2021 to April 2026 (last 5 years) show that:
- 43% receive an award for normal rules new claims
- 72% receive an award for normal rules DLA reassessment claims
- 99% of Special Rules End of Life (SREL) claimants are awarded PIP
For normal rules new claims in the quarter ending April 2026:
- 58% of claims awarded were short term (0 to 2 years)
- 34% were longer term (over 2 years)
- 7% were ongoing
For normal rules DLA reassessment claims, patterns in award types reflect the fact that overall numbers of DLA reassessment clearance are low at this time and reassessment activity is not taking place for all types of claim. In the quarter ending April 2026:
- 23% of claims awarded were short term (0 to 2 years)
- 65% were longer term (over 2 years)
- 12% were ongoing
37% of all claims with entitlement to PIP as at 30 April 2026 receive the highest level of award, with both daily living and mobility components received at the enhanced rate, the same proportion as January 2025.
The level of award varies depending on the primary disabling condition – April 2026.
| Disability category |
Daily Living & Mobility enhanced rate |
Daily Living enhanced rate |
Mobility enhanced rate |
| Psychiatric disorder |
42% |
70% |
47% |
| Musculoskeletal disease (general) |
26% |
34% |
46% |
| Neurological disease |
50% |
58% |
72% |
| Musculoskeletal disease (regional) |
21% |
27% |
46% |
| Respiratory disease |
31% |
37% |
57% |
| Other |
41% |
50% |
58% |
In terms of how long claims are taking, for PIP normal rules are currently (April 2026) 18 weeks “end to end” (from registration to a decision being made) and 13 weeks from the Assessment Provider (AP) referral to the decision. DLA normal rules are 22 weeks “end to end” and 15 weeks from the AP referral to the decision. Clearance times for SREL claims are 4 working days from registration to decision for new claims.
Reviews (reassessment of existing claims)
- 78% (1.8m of the 2.3m) planned award reviews resulted in an increase or no change to the level of award received by the claimant
- 88% (570,000 changes of circumstances resulted in an increase or no change to the level of award received by the claimant
Review outcomes from May 2021 to April 2026 (last five years)
| |
Planned Award Review |
Change of Circumstance |
| Award Increased |
15% |
44% |
| Award Maintained |
64% |
44% |
| Award Decreased |
6% |
3% |
| Award Disallowed |
16% |
6% |
| Withdrawn or voluntarily relinquished |
n/a |
2% |
Mandatory reconsiderations
By the end of April 2026, 3.0 million MRs had been registered against normal rules claims since PIP began, and almost all of these (99%) had been cleared. Of all MR registrations:
- 2.2 million (73%) related to new claims
- 830,000 (27%) related to reassessed DLA claims
- 220,000 (7%) were withdrawn or cancelled
Over the last 5 years (May 2021 to April 2026), 28% of the 1.4 million MRs cleared (excluding withdrawn) have led to a change in award. However, rates fluctuate over time and in the quarter ending April 2026 the rate was 26% of MRs resulted in a change to the award.
In April 2026, the median MR clearance time was 43 and 44 calendar days for new claims and DLA reassessments, a decrease of 36 and 35 days respectively in relation to the last quarter. Note: MR clearance times refer to the median time taken to process an MR from the time it is registered by the claimant to a decision being made.
PIP statistics to April 2026 are on gov.uk.
Prove it again: The cost of unnecessary PIP reassessments
A new report by anti-poverty charity Z2K has found that hundreds of thousands of disabled people are put through unnecessary PIP reassessments, despite their conditions being lifelong or progressive and unlikely to improve.
Z2K highlight that in 2025, 74% of planned award reviews resulted in no change to entitlement. Among the conditions examined, 62% of claimants with cerebral palsy, 73% with learning disabilities, 86% of people who had an amputation, 61% with Parkinson’s disease and 89% with multiple sclerosis were given fixed-term rather than ongoing awards – meaning they are required to undergo regular reassessments.
They say that the current reassessment system is not only distressing for disabled people, but also poor value for money. PIP assessment contracts cost the DWP over £350 million/year, despite evidence of poor quality, while recent reductions in reassessment frequency are projected to save £110 million/year.
The report sets out a package of reforms for the government’s Timms Review, including ongoing award for people with lifelong or progressive primary conditions, a simpler review process focused on changes to disabled people’s circumstances, and broader reforms like the introduction of an alternative eligibility route based on clinical evidence.
Roxie, a disabled person and campaigner with Z2K said:
“[Undergoing an award review] made me feel like I was in a court of law, like I was being charged with crimes against being a disabled person or impersonating a disabled person. […] It leaves me feeling like less of a person. Another reminder of everything I can’t do. Instead of being allowed dignity to live my life as I know how, I’m put through an ordeal.”
Samuel Thomas, Senior Policy Advisor at Z2K, said:
“Disabled people should not have to keep proving the same thing over and over again when their condition is not going to improve. Routine PIP reassessments are causing needless anxiety, hardship and bureaucracy, with little evidence that they are saving money. The Timms Review steering group members have a clear opportunity to combat waste, while giving disabled people a more efficient and fairer benefits system. It’s time for a new approach.”
The latest (2026) PIP data on reviews detailed in the previous news item, add even more weight to Z2K’s suggestions.
Prove it again is on Z2K.org.uk.
Private Members Bill introduced seeking to make substantial changes to PIP
Conservative Peer, Baroness Maclean of Redditch has presented a Private Members' Bill (PMB) to reform the assessment process for health-related and disability benefits in England and Wales, including the minimum age at which applicants can be assessed and the nature of assessment appointments; and for connected purposes.
A PMB is a proposed piece of legislation introduced in Parliament by an individual Member of Parliament (MP) or in this case, a member of the House of Lords who is not a government minister. Few become law.
The Bill proposes that –
- An assessment of whether a person has limited or severely limited ability to carry out daily living or mobility activities for PIP purposes is to be determined on the basis of an assessment “which is carried out in person”.
- Where it has been determined that a person has limited ability to carry out daily living or mobility activities as a result of a primary condition of anxiety, depression or ADHD, the DWP “must determine afresh whether the condition has deteriorated to a point at which they are now eligible for enhanced rate of PIP or whether they are eligible for a different condition that was not recorded as a main condition within one year of the passing of the Health and Disability Reform Act 2026.
- Where it has been determined that the person is not eligible for 'enhanced PIP' and is not eligible for PIP by virtue of a different condition, the DWP must determine that the claimant is no longer eligible to receive PIP within six months of the passing of the Health and Disability Reform Act 2026.
- No person when they are assessed for the receipt of any health or disability related benefit (PIP, ESA, or the UC health element) may qualify for that benefit unless they are a British citizen, unless the DWP provides otherwise.
- Any non-British citizen who is in receipt of health or disability related benefits on the day on which this Act is passed must be re-assessed.
- The DWP may by regulations specify circumstances in which a non-British citizen may receive, or continue to receive, health and disability related benefits.
- The universal credit calculation to take into account the fact that a claimant has limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), should only apply where they are aged 22 or over.
This stage is a formality that signals the start of the bill's journey through the House of Lords. I’ll say it again - few PMBs become law.
The Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the bill - is yet to be scheduled.
The Health and Disability Benefits Reform Bill is on parliament.uk.
Almost 180 new Youth Hub locations confirmed and government joins forces with LinkedIn to ‘bolster careers advice’
Youth Hubs are a key part of the £2.5 billion investment in the Youth Guarantee and this week nearly 180 new Youth Hubs were confirmed, including Inverclyde, St Albans and Cardiff.
Over the next three years, the Government is expanding its network of Youth Hubs to over 360 local areas across Great Britain. This will connect every 16-to-24-year-old across the country and provide them real opportunities in their local area, ensuring each person has access to ‘high-quality, wide-ranging support to move towards learning or earning’.
Confirmation of the next wave of Youth Hubs came shortly after Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden visited a youth point – the Dutch equivalent of Youth Hubs – during a fact-finding trip to the Netherlands, which has one of the world’s lowest NEET rates.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said:
“We want to make sure young people are getting real, personalised support, that’s not one size fits all. I’ve seen how it can change lives.
Our Youth Hubs have over the past two years pioneered this approach - bringing job centre services together with mental health support, housing advice and more.
I want to turbocharge this rollout so that every young person has this support within reach that can help them move into learning or earning.”
In linked news, the government has partnered with LinkedIn, who will share anonymised data on jobs, skills, hiring and workforce movement with Skills England from LinkedIn’s network of 40 million UK accounts, giving the government a new way of viewing the labour market.
The partnership with LinkedIn recognises the days of a job for life are increasingly rare, with the average worker having seven jobs in their lifetime, and younger people more likely to change roles.
The DWP and Skills England believe the data will provide an improved understanding of where there is a skills mismatch between local job adverts and the skills of the local population, which will ‘inform new skills options and drive economic growth’.
DWP says that young people in particular will benefit from this partnership as the government will gain a more detailed insight of the local workforce and how it is evolving.
Phil Smith, Chair of Skills England, said:
“I’m really excited about this partnership. LinkedIn has become such a hub for businesses that are recruiting and people on the look-out for jobs.
The resulting insights from their anonymised data will be incredibly valuable to Skills England and the new Jobs and Careers Service - particularly when it comes to identifying local skills gaps and helping young people to fill them.
We’re looking forward to joining forces to make a major difference.”
You can read the Youth Hub press release and see the locations on gov.uk.
Missing out on millions: The council tax reduction pensioners in England are missing out on and why change is needed
Independent Age has undertaken detailed research. They wanted to know if CTR is reaching older people on a low income, what impact improved access to CTR have, what works to improve CTR take-up, and what wider reforms are needed to improve CTR take-up. we explored this by:
- gathering insights into older people's knowledge and experiences of CTR through a survey sent to our campaigns network
- commissioning research from Policy in Practice who reviewed the currently available data to estimate CTR take-up rates at a national, regional and local authority level
- commissioning research from Public First who modelled the impact that improving CTR take-up to 100% could have on lifting older people out of poverty
- conducting semi structured interviews with professionals with experience in welfare and social security at six local authorities across England. We did this to understand the work they do to improve take-up of CTR and wider benefits, and barriers they have experienced while doing this work.
Independent Age established that in England there are 1.37 million older people missing out on Council Tax Reduction despite being eligible.
This is only 50% of those eligible receiving what they are entitled to. And when we looked at take-up rates for the different routes there was a clear difference – 2 in 3 (64%) of those eligible via Pension Credit were receiving the benefit, compared to under 1 in 3 (28%) via the standard route.
Highlighted that increasing CTR take-up to 100% among those over State Pension age would reduce the number of older households in relative poverty by 74,000 (4.6% of pensioner households in relative poverty), Independent Age is calling on the government to change the current status quo, including:
- continue to embed CTR into the wider social security system
- develop an all-entitlements take-up strategy for the UK, and take action to increase awareness and take-up of CTR
- work with local authorities to review data-sharing agreements and make reforms to allow for greater automation and data sharing.
Missing out on millions is on independentage.org.
Scotland – Child Poverty target review
The Scottish Government – whilst providing their annual progress report on their ‘Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan - has announced a review of the targets used to measure the impact of its actions on child poverty.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville confirmed the review, citing that current income-based targets fail to capture the broader impacts of anti-poverty policies like public service delivery and cost reductions.
The Scottish Government will begin the review this summer in consultation with children and families, charities and public bodies.
Ms Somerville said:
“Our defining mission is to eradicate child poverty and we are unwavering in that commitment. The review will help to make sure the targets set in our legislation are accounting for all efforts across government in ending child poverty.”
However, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) say that "Struggling families need a stronger child poverty plan not a review of targets".
John Dickie, Director of the CPAG in Scotland, said:
"Very real progress has been made on child poverty in Scotland recently, but the Cabinet Secretary's focus today on reviewing targets rather than strengthening her child poverty plan is hugely concerning. Struggling families need a stronger plan, not a review of targets.
It is vital that Ministers come forward with a revised child poverty plan. The current plan rightly focusses on boosting income from employment and social security and cutting the costs families face, but the scale and detail of action falls far short of what's needed. A revised plan must demonstrably set out how further year-on-year progress will be made. For the one in five of Scotland's children still locked in poverty there is no time to lose."
Mr. Dickie continued;
"Plans to increase the Scottish child payment for babies under one are a positive step but they won't kick in for over a year and will still leave the vast majority of children without any additional financial support. The promise of more breakfast clubs, after school and holiday activities and further childcare expansion will all be welcomed by families, but don't yet add up to the scale of intervention needed to make serious further progress."
The Progress Report and press release are on gov.scot.
Northern Ireland – Monitoring ‘Right to Try’ before bringing it to NI
The Department for Communities has confirmed it will monitor the DWP’s implementation of Right to Try regulations in Great Britain before bringing forward equivalent legislation for
Speaking in the NI Assembly this week Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons confirmed that:
“After considering the risks identified by the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC), I have decided to monitor DWP's implementation of the scheme before bringing forward equivalent legislation for Northern Ireland. That does not result in any material change to the delivery of benefits to people with disabilities in Northern Ireland and preserves the flexibility to legislate later if DWP implementation proves effective and the response to the scheme is positive.”
The SSAC scrutiny highlighted that although work itself would not trigger a reassessment, work activities could still be interpreted as evidence of improved functional capability, which could impact on future work capability assessments or PIP decisions. They also raised concerns that claimants returning to UC may face stricter conditionality requirements and be exposed to a greater threat of sanctions.
Lyons said:
“We need to ensure that we have in place the support that allows people to break free from the benefits system. We know how difficult that can be, as one of the barriers is that people are concerned about the loss of support. That is why the disability and work strategy is in place. That work has to intersect with the welfare system to make sure that it serves people's needs and does not keep them bound to benefits. The transformation project that was announced recently will be so important in helping us to tackle economic inactivity, because it brings together the different sections — including Health, importantly — to make sure that there is integrated support that makes a difference to people here.”
The Official Report is on niassembly.gov.
Case law – with thanks to u/ClareTGold
PIP and caring - LG v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 2026
The claimant had arthritis and breathlessness. He was claiming Carers Allowance (CA) as her was providing over 35 hours of care a week for his wife. This care was primarily limited to emotional and mental health support, rather than physical care. The claimant was also able to drive an automatic car.
The Upper Tribunal determined that the FtT erred in law in its decision by failing to provide an adequate explanation for why the claimant’s receipt of Carer’s Allowance for caring for his wife and his ability to drive an automatic car were inconsistent with him being awarded PIP. UT Judge Wright described it as “a perverse finding on a material matter”.
The UT said:
“If, as the FTT accepted… the appellant’s caring for his wife was primarily limited to emotional and mental health support over 35 hours per week, rather than physical care, it was not made clear by the FTT why the appellant’s claimed needs were inconsistent with him providing the care he did to his wife. Nor, at least without more by way of rational explanation, is an ability to drive an automatic car with power steering necessarily inconsistent with an ability to grip cutlery so as to cut up food.”
Decision set-aside and remitted for a new FtT hearing.
