Cardiff Council say the new benefit cap brought into force today will hit 1091 families across the city.
Under new UK government law families and couples have seen their benefit allowance drop from a maximum of £500 a week to £385. Single people can now claim a maximum of £258 a week as opposed to £350 before today.
Many of the families in Cardiff affected by the cap have three or more children.
Louise Bateman, who lives in St Mellons with her husband and six children, will be affected by the benefit cap. She says she’s already relying on food banks and is “finding it really hard”.
Phil Richards volunteers at the St Mellons Foodbank every week and he says the cap will be “another nail in the coffin for a lot of people”.
Cardiff Council say Trowbridge and Ely are the wards worst hit by the cap, with more than 100 households in each seeing a reduction in the amount they can claim.
Other wards heavily affected include Splott, Pentwyn, Llanrumney, Adamsdown and Grangetown.
Leah Whitty, Welfare Reform Manager for Cardiff Council, says the number of families in Cardiff now affected by a benefit cap is a “massive increase”.
She says “there is a huge amount of help available” including the Council’s Money Advice Team and Into Work Advice Service.
