PAY-OUTS to cash-strapped families from a housing fund have trebled since the introduction of the so-called "bedroom tax", new research suggests.
Figures obtained by the Green Party under the Freedom of Information Act show £64,539 was given out in Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) in Hull in the three months up to June.
A total of £21,245 was given out in the same period last year.
In March, the Government introduced benefit cuts for families with spare rooms in council houses, a move branded by critics as a "bedroom tax".
Martin Deane, of the Hull and East Riding Green Party, said: "Hull families, the elderly and disabled are suffering under the bedroom tax and the most vulnerable people in our community are increasingly being forced to seek emergency help from Hull City Council.
"The coalition has pushed through many callous policies, but this is perhaps one of the most vicious.
"The bedroom tax isn't saving public money, it's just placing vulnerable people across Hull and across the country under huge stresses.
"It's a direct assault on working families and others who have simply nowhere else to go and it must stop."
Mr Deane called on Hull City Council to follow the example of Green-controlled Brighton and Hove by guaranteeing not to evict tenants unable to pay rent because of the changes.
He said: "It's time for councillors to get to work on a no evictions policy.
"It's a first step to protecting all those local people who have been targeted by the bedroom tax."
Councillor John Black, Hull's portfolio holder for housing, said there were no plans to evict tenants in the immediate future.
He said: "We will only evict in exceptional circumstances. We're a long way from that at the moment.
"The council has a duty to collect the rent. That's a legal responsibility.
"But the process is done with understanding about people's circumstances."
The council had predicted an increase in the DHP money paid out after the benefit changes.
The payments are there to help struggling families and Cllr Black said they offered an important safety net for those affected by a coalition policy he disagreed with.
He said: "From the housing perspective, people are being encouraged to make applications to the discretionary fund if they find themselves in circumstances where they have got additional costs.
"These aren't payments we would envisage paying forever and a day.
"It's a stop-gap and a degree of assistance until people can put measures in place to manage their budgets better."
The DHP money is allocated to councils annually by the Government and can be used to support any of their tenants who cannot afford rent.
Visit www.hullcc.gov.uk and navigate to the housing section for more details.
