The government has appointed disability rights expert Zara Todd as the chair of the new Independent Disability Advisory Panel.
Plans for the independent advisory group, which will have a broad remit across all of health and disability policy, were announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper last November.
The panel will consist of up to 10 deaf and disabled people and people with long-term health conditions “for the government to listen to, learn from, and collaborate with”, the Department for Work and Pensions said in a press release announcing the appointment.
It will “provide guidance, recommendations and feedback to embed lived experience into policy design and delivery, aiming to build trust and strengthen relationships with the sector”, with Todd playing a “guiding role” in its development and focus.
The panel will run separately to the government’s review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is being led by Sir Stephen Timms, the minister for social security and disability, but expertise and insight will be shared between the two.
Timms said Todd’s “extensive and wide-ranging experience, including designing and facilitating disability inclusive spaces, will be invaluable in guiding the collaboration we hope to build”.
Since 2024, Todd has been chair of the Edinburgh Accessibility Commission, providing independent advice on accessibility for disabled people to Edinburgh council.
She is also currently a member of both the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland and the British Council Disability Advisory Panel, as well as being a convener of Disability Equality Scotland, and on the board of Disabled Peoples’ International.
Todd said she is “delighted” to be chosen to chair the panel “and help ensure deaf and disabled people and people with long-term health conditions are heard in government policy-making”.
“I look forward to working with other disabled people to connect lived experience with policy development,” she added.
“I hope that working collaboratively, we can build stronger links and build an approach that works for all.”
DWP said it will soon launch an expression of interest notice for the appointment of panel members, and full application details will be available on GOV.UK once the recruitment campaign officially launches.