Stinging cuts worth hundreds of pounds a year will hit more than 10,000 of North Somerset’s poorest families, it has been claimed, even if they are already in work or signed off due to illness.

The district is already home to areas which rank in the top three per cent of the most deprived in the UK.

But now 10,930 North Somerset families could lose an average of £260 per year under the Government’s looming £12billion welfare cuts, according to a North Somerset councillor.

The reduction in benefits, including tax credits, household benefit and disability allowance, could see the worst-affected families hit by as much as £170 a week, North Somerset Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB) has predicted.

North Somerset’s Liberal Democrat leader Mike Bell said the cuts would greatly impact ‘the poorest’ people and blamed the Government for placing a ‘higher priority’ on ‘giving inheritance tax cuts to millionaires’.

Cllr Bell told the Mercury: “These measures will mean big reductions for the poorest North Somerset residents.

“It is difficult to see how protecting universal free benefits for retired people or giving inheritance tax cuts to millionaires can be a higher priority than giving a helping hand to families who work for a living but cannot make ends meet.”

The Lib Dems’ analysis also claims 1,570 North Somerset residents deemed ‘temporarily unfit’ to work due to illness will have their income support slashed by £30 a week.

CAB caseworker manager Sarah Leeroth told the Mercury people were already ‘struggling to cope’ and things would get ‘worse not better’ for those hit.

She said: “Life is getting more expensive and people are struggling to cope, particularly in this area and partly because of the high council tax bands.”

“It makes them reliant on state benefit, but they are getting worse off as a result and not managing to keep up. Food is the first thing to go when that happens, we have clients in every day who cannot cope with their debts.

“The only way to save the £12billion as planned is going to be by making cuts worse, and we expect child and housing benefit to be hit. Things are going to get worse not better.

“Our calculations suggest families could be £170 a week worse off, and the effect will be severe.”