NEARLY £230,000 of a hardship fund set up to help people affected by the so-called "bedroom tax" in Cornwall has not been spent, new figures show.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published figures this week showing Cornwall Council had the money available last year from a grant to support families hit by the benefit crackdown.
Some in government have hit out at the "scare stories" surrounding the bedroom tax, claiming the problems cannot be that bad because the hardship funds were not spent.
Nationally, more than £20 million of the Discretionary Housing Payment allocation, specifically earmarked to help social housing tenants adapt to welfare reforms, was not spent by local authorities.
Welfare Reform Minister Lord Freud said: "The figures also show that recent scare stories about councils running out of money were grossly exaggerated. We urge people who may need additional help to contact their local authority."
Dubbed a "bedroom tax" by Labour, though the Government said it ended a "spare room subsidy", the reduction in housing benefit to those deemed to have a spare bedroom means affected families will lose on average about £780 a year in the region.
The Government argued the policy was set against huge housing waiting lists to encourage families to move to smaller properties to help those living in cramped conditions.
But critics said it was cruel and there were nowhere near enough smaller properties to move into. Some £180 million was ring-fenced for councils to mitigate the impact of the reform, which was introduced in April 2013. Councils have got an extra £165 million this year.
The figures reveal:
Cornwall Council has only spent £637,185, leaving a £230,610 surplus.
Plymouth City Council has spent £329,173, leaving a £138,702 surplus.
Mid Devon Council spent £48,064, with a £53,236 surplus
West Devon Council has spent £148,993, leaving a £1,455 surplus.
Councillor Alex Folkes, Cabinet member for finance and resources at Cornwall Council, said: "While ministers have claimed that the fund was able to help people hit by the bedroom tax, in reality the rules governing the fund are quite tight and not everyone affected by the 'bedroom tax' qualifies for help. It is clear that not everyone who qualified for help knew about the funding and so we have asked officers to take extra steps to publicise this and other funding that is available to help."