SPECIALIST benefits staff will have to manage the switch to the new Universal Credit benefit with a decreasing budget, and fears have been raised about whether the authority will be able to keep hold of enough experienced staff to manage the major project.

The warnings have come in a report to a key economic committee, which is considering a formal scrutiny investigation into how people in York will be able to apply for the benefits.

Universal Credit - the policy introduced by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to replace six benefits for working age people - is due to be rolled out in York in February, even though the May general election result could bring changes to the policy.

When it comes into play in York in February around 5,300 working age people who currently get Housing Benefit will have to be moved over onto the new system, although the 4,500 pension age people who get Housing Benefit won't be affected, nor will the 500 people who need extra support in their housing through things like homeless hostels, or because they are vulnerable or disabled.

The report, by benefits and policy staff John Madden and Di Bull, warned that this workload is on the way while the local authority is seeing year on year decreases in the resources they have to administer benefits.

Since 2011/12 the council has seen its benefits admin grant slashed by 26 percent - to £816,000 - and Mr Madden and Ms Bull wrote that they expect the Government to cut those funds even more.

"There is a risk that this will have implications for service resilience and the retention of experienced staff at a time when demand for support and advice will surely increase as customers move on to UC," they added.

The papers show that Government estimates expect nearly 2,000 York people to apply for Universal Credit by March 2016.

About ten percent of those will need help with the process, and with budgeting for the monthly payments which come in arrears; and that the lack of a long term plan to implement the whole of Universal Credit could make it harder yet for the council to keep hold of the skilled benefits staff it needs.