HUNDREDS of people in Swindon are in line to be hit by the Government’s massive benefits reforms which will come into force in April 2013.

Swindon Council has revealed that about 100 families who could be affected by the £26,000 annual cap on total benefits income have been contacted.

The council will also have 10 per cent less Government cash – £1.3m to £1.4m less – to hand out in council tax benefits.

And there will also be cuts in housing benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have spare room, which of Swindon’s 14,775 claimants is expected to hit 32 per cent of those of working age.

Those with one “spare” bedroom will lose 14 per cent of their housing benefit (approximately £12 per week) and those with two or more spare bedrooms will lose 25 per cent (on average £22 per week).

The £26,000 cap is designed to ensure benefits do not add up to more than the average household weekly wage, and the council’s housing options team will offer these people the necessary housing advice.

Coun Rod Bluh, the council leader, said: “It’s not very good for those 100 families. With all of these things you can play the numbers game, but they’re all individually affected people and we cannot be dismissive of it because it’s relatively small numbers.”

With the council tax benefits cut, Swindon Council could decide to plug the gap from its own funds, but claimants of working age may be asked to make up the shortfall.

Currently money is dished out to Swindon’s 16,741 claimants according to Government rules, but Council Tax Benefit will be replaced in April with Local Council Tax Support, where councils set their own schemes.

Coun Bluh said there had not been any discussions yet and the Local Government Association was lobbying ministers to try to solve the shortfall. He said: “It’s very difficult in the current funding climate we’re in – with a £15m gap in our budget to close for next year – to see how we would be able to find the resources to fill that gap without affecting other crucial services.

“Basically, it’s all about where your priorities lay and the only meaningful place that money could come from would be the caring services budget, which is already under huge pressures.”

Coun Des Moffatt, Labour’s lead on benefits, said he would urge the group to press for the all council tax claimants to receive their current amount.

“The cost of collecting the 10 per cent would be greater than the amount collected,” he said.

“Presuming I am wrong in that and it only costs £200,000 to collect £300,000, the social costs of jamming up the courts and using bailiffs to take away the possessions of our poorest neighbours would cost the public purse much more, more in police time, family break-up and social unrest.”

Barry Davis, an advice worker at The Advice Point charity, in Park South, said he did not expect people to act until they either received the warning letter or their benefits were reduced.

He said: “Effectively we’re talking about personal circumstances in every case, but across the board there will be people that are affected quite substantially by the changes.”

FORMER soldier John McGrath, 43, of Westlea, is one of those who could have to pay more due to the change to benefits for council tax.

Mr McGrath cannot work because he has moyamoya brain disease and has suffered from stokes, which have led to loss of movement on the left-hand side of his body.

He said he gets 100 per cent cover for council tax and would not be happy with having to pay 10 per cent due to the Government cut.

He said: “I would struggle to be able to pay because even though I’m on benefits now, I’ve still got my own keep, I’ve got my ex-partner and my children to consider, so any money I would have to pay in my mind would be taken from my children and I wouldn’t be happy about that.”

He said he would not be affected by the £26,000 annual benefits cap but he was against it.

“It wouldn’t affect me but I wouldn’t be for it because of all the other people,” he said. “And things like caps don’t take into account personal circumstances.

“I’m not the only one with moyamoya, there will be someone else out there with similar problems to me – push him too far and it’s going to break him.”

Louise Aldrodge, 29, of the town centre, who also claims benefits, said she supported the housing benefit reduction for spare rooms, because some tenants had rooms free while her family used to live in a home too small for them.

The mother-of-four: “We had to give our dining room up to create a bedroom and our kids were eating on the kitchen floor.”