NEWPORT’s council leader slammed the UK government over a move to devolve the responsibility for council tax benefit that could see many claimants paying part of the charge for the first time.

Cllr Bob Bright, leader of the Labour administration, told a meeting that the move was not well thought through and suggested it was taken by “rich boys in the cabinet”.

The UK government is to shift the responsibility for council tax benefit – now to be called council tax support – to the Welsh Government from April 2013 but with a ten per cent cut in funding.

As a result support may be capped from next April, meaning many council tax benefit recipients could have to pay some council tax for the first time.

The move comes with a number of other changes to benefits – including the move to a universal credit which will replace all main benefits, a cap on local housing allowance to £400 a week and a cap on housing benefit to £500 a week.

Newport council leader Bob Bright, speaking at a meeting of the council’s cabinet, said there was going to be a “seismic change” which would lead to some people being short-changed and would have “considerable impact on poverty and deprivation”.

He said: “It really isn’t very well-thought through. It’s really like rich boys in the cabinet not understanding how ordinary people live.”

Cabinet member for human resources and assets Mark Whitcutt said he found the changes “utterly distasteful”

and produced by people with no experience of the struggles that people in Newport have to experience.

Under Welsh Government plans, a cap would be placed on support to manage the ten per cent reduction in funding, and a Newport council report said support could be limited to 91 per cent.

The report said the Welsh Government had decided no vulnerable group should be given additional protection.

It would be for councils to meet the shortfall, it said.