80,000 in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire "affected by bedroom tax"

New figures show eighty thousand people in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire will be affected by the Government's "bedroom tax".

Fifty thousand of these people are disabled.

The figures, released by the National Housing Federation, also state people living in the area who are on housing benefit will lose an average of £500 a year if they have one spare bedroom. This rises to £893 a year if there are two spare rooms.

Families deemed to have too many bedrooms face having their benefit cut or moving house.

Susan and Alexander Pattison from Hull, who are campaigning against the changes, set for April 1, have a spare bedroom because they need to sleep separately because of Mr Pattison's bad health.

The Government say they have a "discretionary housing fund" for those who are disabled - but the Federation say this will only divide out as 74p a week each if it is shared equally.

According to the Federation, the 10 areas in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire which will see the greatest number of people affected by the bedroom tax will be Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield, Hull, Rotherham, Bradford, Doncaster, Barnsley, Kirklees and York.