A MORECAMBE woman says new laws to cut housing benefit for single people under 60 could leave her homeless. Angela Taylor, 49, is distressed about new legislation which means housing benefit will be slashed to the equivalent cost of renting a room in a shared house - down from about £55 to £34. Housing chiefs at Lancaster City Council are also opposing the cost cutting exercise, which starts in October, because they believe it will hit the sick, disabled, carers and single parents.

Angela rents a flat on Clarence Street in Morecambe.

She told the Citizen: "I don't want to move out of the flat, I've lived there for five years but with these changes I might not be able to afford it.

"A lot of people of my age feel we could even be made homeless. But I don't want to move into a single room, I couldn't get all my stuff in it."

The legislation, passed in early April by the outgoing Conservative Government, follows a Single Rent Room scheme for under 25s which began last October.

Cllr Elaine Bush, chairman of the Revenues and Benefits Service Group, said: "We're trying to move people out of multi-occupation accommodation but these new laws could be driving some people into it. Many young people are already suffering under the new housing law for under 25s."

Chief Revenues Officer Richard Mason said they were still sifting through the details of the new changes.

He said: "We will make sure people get plenty of information and there will be exemptions for different claimants."

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