HALF of Bradford families hit by the ‘benefits cap’ are no longer affected – but officials are unable to say how many have found work.

A total of 498 households in the city have had their housing benefit cut since the controversial cap came into force almost two years ago.

Of those, only 248 households – almost exactly half – were still affected by the cap by November last year, the most recent statistics available.

Across the country, someone in about 30 per cent of the families ‘off the cap’ is now in work, the Government’s aim for the crackdown.

But the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was unable to give the success rate in Bradford, or for the 944 other households capped across the district.

Nevertheless, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, hailed the benefits cap for both saving taxpayers’ money and providing “a clear incentive to people to get into work”.

He said: “The cap has led to hundreds of people breaking free from welfare dependency every week and gaining the financial security and esteem which comes with a job and pay packet.

“That’s real people turning their lives and the prospects of their families around. It is a proud record of this Government’s long-term economic plan.”

But that verdict is fiercely disputed by charities working with poor people, which warn the cap has led to families losing their homes and going hungry.

They say that two-thirds of households affected are unable to work because of sickness or disability, or because they have very young children.

Others will be receiving Jobseekers Allowance, which requires them to look for work – prompting statisticians to argue they could have found jobs without the cap.

The measure prevents workless families from claiming more than £26,000 a year in overall benefits - a level set because it is the average working family income.

The vast majority of families hit in Bradford have lost less than £50 a week, with no-one losing more than £150 a year.

Most had five or more children (328) or four children (146) and none had fewer than three children. Almost half were single parents.

The Conservatives pledged that, if they win the General Election, the screw will be tightened by lowering the cap further – to £23,000 a year.

Labour has argued for the benefits cap to be set regionally, but has refused to say whether that would mean a tougher cap in the north, or less pain in the south, where rents are highest.