The benefits system is failing. We hope to help fix it The Times Fraser Nelson Welfare Inquiry Introducing the Inquiry Pat McFadden interview Two million on sickness benefits left unchecked FRASER NELSON The benefits system is failing. We hope to help fix it Introducing The Times Welfare Inquiry, which will investigate how our 'cheque and forget' culture costs us all dearly and the solutions within our reach Fraser Nelson Sunday October 11 2026, 8.00pm BST , The Times Listen 0:00 / · 5:02 min Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save A bout two years ago I met Gavin, a taxi driver who was trying to come off sickness benefit. He had fully recovered from a heart operation and no longer needed the support, but was told he could not sign himself off and needed to wait to be reassessed. And, until he was, he had no choice but to keep taking the money. When I followed up his story, I was told it was probably a glitch. “Give me his telephone number,” said Liz Kendall, then the work and pensions secretary. “I'll call him.” The call never came. Gavin has now been waiting almost four years. Most commented 1 Zelensky repeats offer to hold elections if Russia agrees to ceasefire Russia-Ukraine war 2,042 comments 2 Tiger kills man who 'jumped' into pen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park 781 comments Today, we can reveal why: reassessments stopped in lockdown and were never properly restarted . Some 1.8 million claimants have been waiting for an average of two years. One has been waiting for 16 years. Gavin's tip led to an investigation into the welfare state, its flaws — and the social and economic dividend that could come with reform. Top stories 1 Starbucks 'explores takeover' of Chipotle Mexican Grill US business The Times produced landmark reports into health , education and justice . Our Welfare Inquiry, which launches today, has not sought to add to the large pile of top-level reviews from Westminster think tanks. It is a project to investigate a system that is disguised by its own complexity, using interviews and new data tools to paint a portrait of a system failing in far more ways than is generally understood. We have gathered health, education, crime and housing data on 42,000 neighbourhoods to detect trends — and a new form of poverty. The failure of sickness benefit, with 3.9 million claiming already, is all the worse given how many claimants do want to work. But the system is geared towards signing people on, not helping them off. One of our findings is that, under this “cheque and forget” culture, the UK is spending ￡40 on welfare cash transfers for every ￡1 helping people find work. Job centres are there for those seeking work but sickness benefit claimants seldom hear from the system again once they are signed off. Advertisement Even those who do wish to work are incentivised not to. Gavin had been told to work and just declare his earnings — his sickness benefit payment would be adjusted downwards. He finds it appalling that he should now be given a permanent salary premium, paid more than a colleague for identical work because he was once sick. But welfare is withdrawn so quickly that an extra hour's work would, to him, barely be worth it. The welfare traps are everywhere, robbing work of its economic function. The Times will document them, as told by those who are trapped. Gavin is no longer sick but has been told to keep taking sickness benefit jon santa cruz FOR THE TIMES We will also look at housing. There are almost 1,000 applications for homeless status per day and councils have statutory duties to do their best to help. They end up paying twice or three times the going rent, which can mean rich pickings for the landlords exploiting despair. How our system interacts with addiction is another significant failing, and Britain's drug-death problems are spiralling closer to those of America than any European country. Why? And is the welfare system making things better, or worse? Top stories 1 Zelensky: US should back Ukraine like Europe does Europe 2 'I went from high-flyer to house husband. Here's how I beat my shame' Family Finances 3 Retirement isn't a cliff edge. It's a window and you need to plan for that Pensions 4 Polish police arrest man on suspicion of plotting to kill Donald Tusk Europe 5 When things go wrong, good intentions are often to blame Entrepreneurs And finally, the young. Welfare was seen as a recourse for middle-aged men in post-industrial areas. Today, some 930,000 sickness benefit claimants are under 35 and the welfare system categorises one in nine 15-year-olds as disabled. The parents have a strong cash incentive to claim, but it risks creating a welfare pipeline for children. Official records show that just over half of young people who claim disability or sickness benefit are neither working nor studying five years later. Alan Milburn's review into Neets — young people not in education, employment or training — was unsparing in its interim report and is likely to make bold recommendations. But the welfare system is squandering the potential of all ages. The Mayfield review showed the ￡1m lifetime cost of writing off a young person on to benefits ; the Timms review showed how disability benefit is no longer fit for purpose . The Times Welfare Inquiry will build on these three and add new dimensions, including examples of successful reform in Europe. We would warmly welcome contributions from readers. This inquiry started with a taxi driver's story, which went on to reveal a far deeper scandal. We'd especially like to hear from those working at the sharp end — serving or former welfare advisers — for their thoughts on what needs to change. We will also seek to quantify the potential for reform and ask if fixing welfare (and the labour market) might be Andy Burnham's single best chance for economic growth. Advertisement The welfare state was designed by William Beveridge, a Liberal whose report was commissioned under a Conservative prime minister and implemented by Labour. This issue has always cut across Westminster politics. The welfare state is, above all else, a covenant between government and the nation — and that covenant is in urgent need of renewal. The Times Welfare Inquiry hopes to make a significant contribution to the debate ahead. All suggestions are welcome: welfare@thetimes.co.uk UK Welfare Inquiry Pat McFadden Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save