BASINGSTOKE MP Andrew Hunter has called on the borough council to clear a backlog of housing benefit claims after he received a record number of complaints.

Mr Hunter told The Gazette he has had more complaints over delays in processing the claims than in any other year and claims the district's most vulnerable people are suffering as a result.

Mr Hunter said some residents have feared being turfed out of their homes after receiving letters telling them they were running up huge rent debts.

He said: "In some cases, it's really rather serious. One particular woman I know who has a history of mental illness was really quite distraught.

"She had received a letter from the housing association telling her that she was in arrears.

"By the very nature of housing benefit, the vulnerable in society are going to be claiming it."

Mr Hunter said that although the processing delays won't leave people homeless, many residents feared the worse.

He believes that the situation is preventable because the council knows there will be an increased workload at this time of year as people rush to beat the benefit deadline.

He said: "I would have thought that, rather like the Christmas post, it would be rather good to put more resources into it at the busy time of year. It is foreseeable as it happens every year.

"I would hope that there can be an increase in resources to match the increase in demand on the housing benefit department."

Borough council spokesman Paul Galliford said that changes in Government rules over tax credits have had a knock-on effect to the council's workload, but added everything was being done to reduce the housing benefit claims wait.

He said: "All outstanding applications are being dealt with in date order, going back to the end of July, with additional staff being assigned for this.

"Any outstanding claims prior to this time are incomplete and require the claimants to provide further information to the council before they can be processed.

"The council, like all other local authorities, has been affected by the Government changes in legislation and is working as best it can to process housing benefit re-applications as quickly and thoroughly as possible."