Benefit Cuts Hit Thousands of City Residents

Hard-Up residents are calling Nottingham City Council at a rate of more than one a minute over worries about benefits changes that came into force last month.  The Post can reveal that between April 2 and 16, the council answered 5,300 calls and had 2,854 face-to-face enquiries, meaning it dealt with nearly 750 queries a day.  Compared with the same period last year, the service has received 71 per cent more phone calls.  The council has taken on an extra 14 benefits advisers to its team of 58, for the next 11 weeks, to help cope with the demand. Staff have also been working overtime and have cancelled holidays.  Research shows that Government welfare changes, which include changes to Disability Living Allowance, Child Benefit and the Spare Room Subsidy, or Bedroom Tax, will take £120 million out of Nottingham’s economy.  Read more on the Nottingham Post website.