GWENT housing benefit claimants have been hit hard by April’s changes and are losing out around £13 a week.

Within the five Gwent counties, 8,679 households who claim housing benefit are being affected by the changes, known as the bedroom tax, since it came into force in April.

The latest figures released by The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) reveal that in August on average Gwent residents who claim housing benefit are losing out on £13.18 per week.

In Newport, 2,235 people who claim housing benefit lose an average of 13.46 and in Caerphilly its 2,689 claimants lose out an average of £13.30.

In Torfaen its 1,704 claimants lose an average of £13.28 and in Monmouthshire its 557 claimants lose out on £14.17.

According to AM Alun Davies, almost £1m is being snatched away from vulnerable people across Blaenau Gwent.

Of the 1,494 people who claim housing benefit in Blaenau Gwent, they are each losing on average £11.69 a week, which equates to a staggering £908,172.72 lost a year.

Mr Davies said: “Bedroom tax is basically a tax on the poor and is one of the most scandalous reforms of the benefit system in UK history. This is money that is being taken directly from the most vulnerable and least well-off among us.

“This is not money that could be frittered away on luxuries, this is money that people need to fund basic necessities. I have people coming into my office, walking for miles in some cases in order to pick up vouchers for the food bank because they have no money to feed themselves or their families.”

This week Caerphilly Council voted through measures to help tenants affected, as councillors accepted recommendations to mitigate the unpopular policy.

The council approved recommendations to create more one-bedroom and two-bedroom properties.

They also agreed advice should be given to tenants affected and agreed funding for five additional support staff, costing £150,000, as well as two additional administrative staff.

Some properties may be reclassified from bedrooms when it is unable to fit a standard single bed or when used to store large pieces of medical equipment.

A DWP spokesman said: "These sort of claims just ignore the fact that 40,000 people in Wales that are living in overcrowded accommodation. Our reforms are about restoring fairness to a system that was allowed to spiral out of control.

"Even after the removal of the Spare Room Subsidy we still pay the majority of most claimants' rent, but the taxpayer can no longer afford to pay for people to live in properties larger than they need.”

The DWP have made £6.2m available to Welsh councils.