Council’s benefit hotline inundated

A range of cuts and changes to state support came into effect this week and Hull Council set up a dedicated hotline to assist residents who may be affected.

The lines were opened on Tuesday and were inundated by people seeking help.

The reforms include the so-called “bedroom tax”, which sees cuts to housing benefit for council and housing association tenants deemed to have spare rooms, with about 4,700 people in Hull thought to be affected.

Councillor Steve Brady, leader of the Labour-run authority, said: “Don’t forget a lot of these people are working people but because of low wages they have got this support which is now going.

“I would say about 40 per cent who are claiming housing benefit and council tax benefit are actually hard-working people.

“We predict that there will be an absolute rush of applications for help.

“We are also setting up, not only this advice line, but also bringing the Citizens’ Advice Bureau into our guidance centre, the Wilson Centre, because they are the experts in their field and we want to do everything we can to support each individual.

“But that’s the way it is and I think that line will be hot for many months to come.”

Chancellor George Osborne mounted a stout defence of the reforms this week when he claimed some opponents were talking “ill-informed rubbish”, and said the changes were necessary and fair.

But Labour claims the reforms will leave some families £900 a year worse off and the clamour against them has grown, with the charity Crisis saying they would heap “misery” on families and a group of leading churches claiming the most vulnerable would pay a “disproportionate price”.

The number is 01482 300303.