A FUND set up to help people struggling to pay the rent has had half the number of applicants in the first few weeks of this year as it did for the whole of 2012/13.

The figures on discretionary housing payments in Monmouthshire come in the wake of the so-called bedroom tax – a cut to housing benefits based on how few rooms in a house are occupied that was introduced in April.

The fund, administered by Monmouthshire Council, can be claimed by housing benefit or council tax benefit claimants if they are having difficulty paying rent.

They can also be available to claimants if their housing benefit has been hit by the bedroom tax and an extra £30 million has been made available to the overall UK budget for such payments.

Some 218 application awards have been processed for 2013/14, compared to 379 in 2012/13, according to the council.

To date, Monmouthshire has already allocated or spent £42,612 fromits discretionary housing payment fund since April 1.

That is a third of the £121,978 contribution from the Department of Works and Pensions for this year and almost half of the £83,985 paid out in 2012/13.

A total of £304,945 is available this year, with Monmouthshire meeting the balance not covered by the DWP – £108,963 was available last year.

A spokesman for Monmouthshire Council said there had been an increase in applications.

Cllr Dimitri Batouni, Labour Monmouthshire group leader, said unfortunately this comes as no shock and that the bedroom tax reform could have devastating consequences for people in the county.

He said: “The coalition government haven’t provided enough money to local authorities to cope with demand, and if this high level of claims continues we are in danger of running out of money.”

Jessica Morden, Labour MPfor Newport East, whose constituency covers some parts of the Monmouthshire local authority, questioned a government minister in the House of Commons over whether or not the UK government had provided enough money.

Steve Webb, minister of state for pensions, said: “We expected and planned for a higher rate of demand at the start of the year.

“We are in close contact with local authorities in Wales to monitor the early implementation of this policy.”