THERE are disturbing claims today of tenants being threatened with eviction because of a backlog in dealing with their housing benefit since Blackburn with Darwen Council farmed the service out to a private company.

This is worrying not just because, through no fault of their own, people caught up in the delay are put in fear of losing their homes through their rent not being paid.

For it also raises doubts over the wisdom of the council giving work it once did itself to the support services firm, Capita -- not least because of the company's record of losing its contract with Lambeth Council after piling up a backlog of 60,000 housing benefits claims in the London borough.

Critics of the decision by the council to sub-contract many of its services -- including the processing of the 25,000 housing benefits cases on its books -- to the private sector may already see their fears confirmed but it is, in fact, far too soon for a judgment to be made on Capita's performance.

Inevitably, in the transfer of any service teething troubles are bound to arise. But it is crucial that steps are taken now to ensure that they do not persist or pile up. Nor can the "teething trouble" explanation be fallen back upon much longer -- not when it is now almost six months since this service was handed over.

For, despite reassurances that the delay in processing benefits has been and is still being reduced, there are claims by some landlords that tenants have already been evicted after their housing benefits claims were delayed by as much as three months and opposition councillors say dozens more are under the threat of eviction.

The council's partnership with Capita has many positive prospects, not least it generating jobs and an investment-luring new skills pool, but, teething troubles or not, this is a disappointing start and fast and clear improvements are looked for -- above all by those whose delayed entitlements bring the dread of an eviction notice.