THOUSANDS of York residents could be forced out of their homes due to benefit changes, the city’s ruling councillors have warned.

Rented accommodation could also become unaffordable for “ordinary” people, under the proposed Government reforms, according to the Labour cabinet on City of York Council.

The city cabinet has now called for officials to update the city’s homelessness strategy and to prepare a report on the implications for York of the benefit changes.

Councillors were speaking at a meeting this week about Government’s plan to cap the amount of housing benefit payable to individuals and other proposed welfare reforms.

The Government argues that under the current housing benefit system, people without jobs are able to live in properties unaffordable to people in work and that its universal credit plan will ensure being in work always pays, whereas the current system traps people on benefits. Coun Dave Merrett, the council’s cabinet member for city strategy, warned: “We could see literally thousands of York resident being evicted from their homes and having to leave the city.”

The various benefit changes being introduced by the Government were “cumulative”, he warned.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, responsible for housing, warned housing benefit would not keep pace with local rents and if rents continued to rise, “ordinary people would not be able to afford rented accommodation in York”.

She said to buy a house in York, the purchaser needed an average income of £42,000 and the average age of a first-time buyer was 37, with financial help. She also warned the council did not have the smaller homes necessary to implement Government plans to make single people and other small households move out of larger houses. The Government argues this would enable more efficient use of the country’s accommodation.

Coun Simpson-Laing said some of the Government was listening, but said it was up to councillors to “show the terrible impact this is going to have on this city”.

But York Outer’s Conservative MP Julian Sturdy said: “The Government’s welfare reforms have one sole purpose – to make the system fairer. I truly believe households dependent upon benefits should not earn more than households in work. Through the Universal Credit reforms, we will make the system fairer for all, incentivise pathways back to work and clean up the abuse of the welfare system to better protect those who are most in need.”