THE Bishop of Bradford has said he fears the church will be under increasing strain as it tries to help poor families hit by new cuts to benefits.

The Rt Rev Dr Toby Howarth spoke out after the benefits cap was reduced yesterday, a move which will affect around 1,000 Bradford families.

The cap has been cut to £20,000 for couples and families and £13,400 for single people as part of a Government drive to make work pay.

Last week, local food banks and charities expressed their concern at the cut, but Shipley MP Philip Davies said it didn’t go far enough.

Bishop Toby said: “I know there are those who have said that even this cut isn’t enough, but I think the people who are saying that need to actually see the real impact on families.

“It’s all very well to say that this is the equivalent of a £25,000 salary, but actually, if you break that down in terms of what it is going on, and look at the families concerned and how it is going to affect them, this information needs to go into the political debate.

“We need to keep a very close eye on who is getting hurt by this and my concern is children may be hurt.”

Yesterday, a charity revealed that personal debt in the UK had risen to £1.5 trillion for the first time.

Bishop Toby said this news, along with welfare reforms and continuing cuts to local authority budgets, made him fear for the cumulative impact on the poorest families and those - like the church - who helped them.

He said: “If rental costs can’t be met, we could be looking at a new homelessness crisis.”

He said the church’s support networks were deeply committed to helping those in need but were “feeling very stretched” as they picked up more and more work once undertaken by local authorities.

He said: “We are finding it tough and we will find it tougher.”

And he said there was little appreciation in the South-East of what life was like in northern cities like Bradford.

He said: “I think the voice of Bradford and other northern cities needs to be heard, in terms of how these changes are impacting real people and real communities.”

One local church-based initiative which helps people facing poverty is Wellsprings Together Bradford, a partnership between the Diocese of Leeds and the Church Urban Fund.

Liz Firth, a development worker, said she feared families could be evicted because they didn’t have enough money to get by.

She said: “At Wellsprings Together Bradford we know the people behind the figures.

“Imagine a single parent trying to find work with limited employment opportunities and not enough money to live on - it puts them in an almost impossible position.

“In our experience of meeting with local families many are simply trying to do their best for their children and would prefer to be in work and not on benefits.”

The Department for Work and Pensions did not take up the opportunity to comment.

Last week, a spokesman said work was “the best route out of poverty” and the benefit cap provided a clear incentive to move into a job.