A BOLTON MP has slammed moves by the Government to scale back housing benefit.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, believes planned reforms of the benefit system will have a crippling impact on Bolton’s most vulnerable people.

The Government has proposed to cap the rate of housing benefit in the social sector at the same rate as housing benefit in the private sector.

The move means that Bolton’s supported housing charities and organisations — including Emmaus, St Vincent’s and Bolton at Home — face funding uncertainty because of a potential cut to the amount of housing benefit claimants will receive.

Chancellor George Osborne has claimed the reforms — announced in last year’s spending review — will save the tax payer £225 million, but this has been rubbished by Ms Qureshi.

Speaking in the House of Commons, she said: “These proposals are counter-productive, both economically and morally.”

“Some of these people have drug and mental health problems – put them on the street and they will probably end up committing crime and in the prison system, which will end up costing the state even more money.”

One of the organisations that could be affected by the changes is homelessness charity Emmaus Bolton, which supports people who have become homeless until they are ready to move on.

The average housing benefit is £123.60 per week, but the cost to Emmaus is approximately £1,000 per month to support each person.

Tony Stephenson, from the charity said: “We have no idea what, if any funding we might get because we rely upon the housing benefit contribution to keep our service alive.”

Last week The Bolton News visited Darren Court, a supported housing scheme in Kearsley, run by St Vincent’s Housing Association and heard fears from bosses about the potential impact of the changes.

Ms Qureshi’s fellow Labour MP David Crausby has also raised fears about the proposals.

He said: “I am very concerned about what the plans will mean for vulnerable people here in Bolton and across the country unless the Government makes some serious changes.

“If housing benefit can no longer be used to cover the extra cost of supported housing we may see people forced out of their homes and into cheaper accommodation that does not have the extra support that helps them to get through the day.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “We value the work of the supported housing sector extremely highly and are working closely with them to ensure they are supported as effectively as possible in advance of the policy taking effect.”