NEW housing benefit applicants in Bradford are having to wait more than three weeks for their claims to be processed.

Between July and September last year, new claimants waited on average 23 days before their application was completed, according to data from the Department for Work and Pensions.

That is above the British average of 22 days, which includes weekends.

Over the same period in 2016 applicants had to wait the same time.

According to the figures, the local authority processed 3,295 new cases over the three months. In total there are 38,452 housing benefit claimants in Bradford.

Residents are eligible for housing benefit if they rent, are on a low income or other benefits, and if their savings are below £16,000.

Bradford was quicker at dealing with current claimants who had changed their living circumstances.

Those applications took on average 11 days to complete.

A charity has warned that delays in processing benefits can have a serious impact on the applicants’ lives.

Polly Neate, Shelter chief executive, said: “Processing delays and admin errors mean landlords are increasingly reluctant to let to anyone on housing benefit.

“On top of that payments are too low and completely out of synch with the cost of private rents. This has left too many struggling renters battling against the tide to keep a roof over their head.

“It’s simply not right that so many people are teetering on the brink of homelessness.

“The government must ensure housing benefit is fit for purpose, and in the long-term build homes that people on lower incomes can genuinely afford to rent.”

A government spokesman said it constantly monitored local authorities’ performance and would intervene if it dipped below acceptable standards.

He said: “The evidence shows that the time it takes for local authorities to process most new housing benefit claims has remained stable for a number of years and we would intervene if anything changed.”

The government is currently rolling out Universal Credit across the country, which will replace benefits such as housing and child tax credits with a single payment.

However it had not been completely installed in Bradford when this data was recorded so some claimants still use the old system and those applications are referred to in this data.

Those applying for housing benefit under Universal Credit have to wait five weeks, which includes a four-week assessment period.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “Bradford Council regularly monitors the number of days to process both new claims and changes to circumstances, the figures confirm that we reflect the national average.

"We manage a high volume of claimants but nevertheless we continue to look at ways in which improvements can be made. Individuals are encouraged to make a claim for benefit or report changes without delay to ensure that no loss of entitlement is suffered. It is equally important that all necessary evidence is provided at the earliest opportunity as this will enable a prompt assessment to be made, reducing the overall processing times.”