More people will be living rough on Bradford’s streets if the Government goes ahead with plans to cut housing benefit payments for the under-35s, it was claimed today. The warning comes from Bradford Speakout, a campaign group that gives a voice to the city’s homeless people.

The group’s chairman, Emmerson Walgrove, has predicted disastrous consequences unless the city’s derelict properties are made habitable again and turned into suitable-supported living accommodation.

He used the boarded-up and increasingly- derelict properties owned by Incommunities on Chain Street, off Westgate, as a prime example. But they are just some of the 10,000-plus empty properties in Bradford at the moment. Other areas with boarded-up homes are Oak Lane in Manningham and Morley Street in the city centre.

Under changes set to come into force from 2012, the Government is looking at cutting housing benefits to people aged 26 to 35. Recipients would get a limited rate based on renting a room in a shared house.

But Mr Walgrove said that change would have a massive impact on the level of homelessness in Bradford, with those aged 35 or under only getting about half of what they had been and being expected to share homes.

He said: “This is going to kick up all sorts of social problems. You need certain life-skills to share accommodation – a lot of people won’t be able to cope. The problems I could see arising from unsuitable sharing are drugs and alcohol abuse, even violence.”

Richard Burnham, Bradford Council’s principal development manager, said: “Our empty-homes team has taken a number of steps over recent years to bring properties back into use. We continue to work to increase the amount of private sector housing and address problems of overcrowding.”

Latest figures show there are around 10,300 empty properties in the district, which represents 4.95 per cent of all housing stock.