One in three council tenants affected by a recent cut to housing benefit has fallen behind on rent since the policy took effect, figures suggest.

The TUC's False Economy campaign made Freedom of Information requests to all of Britain's councils; 114 responded.

Data revealed 50,000 tenants had fallen into arrears since 1 April 2013 when the housing benefit changes came in - a move critics called the "bedroom tax".

More than 50,000 people affected by the so-called bedroom tax have fallen behind on rent and face eviction, figures given to The Independent show.

Figures provided by 114 local authorities across Britain after Freedom of Information (FoI) requests by the campaign group False Economy show the impact of the bedroom tax over its first four months. The total number of affected council tenants across Britain is likely to be much higher than the 50,000 recorded in the sample of local authorities that responded to the FoI.

At least another 30,000 people living in housing association properties have also fallen behind on rent payments since the bedroom tax came in, with potentially tens of thousands more also affected, according to separate research by the National Housing Federation.

A Northampton councillor recently cited the fact that 300 people had applied for smaller accommodation as justification for the bedroom tax, citing it as an example of another DWP/Smith tax working.

She failed to say, of course, that not one of those 300 people ha actually been able to find smaller places so are stuck with losing the benefit anyway.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24149763

A Northampton councillor recently cited the fact that 300 people had applied for smaller accommodation as justification for the bedroom tax, citing it as an example of another DWP/Smith tax working.

She failed to say, of course, that not one of those 300 people ha actually been able to find smaller places so are stuck with losing the benefit anyway.