CHANGES to welfare benefits announced in chancellor George Osborne's budget will leave more people who are on low incomes struggling to make ends meet, experts says.

Helen Barnard, an expert on poverty and exclusion at the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said there were some good measures in the budget aimed at making work pay better, such as a new apprenticeship levy and a national living wage that will reach £9 an hour by 2020.

But they would take a while to kick in, she warned. In the meantime, plans to reduce tax credits to two children and to freeze working age benefits for four years would mean "some families will find life a lot harder over the next few years," she warned.

Rebecca Jeffrey, the research and campaigns officer at York Citizens Advice Bureau, meanwhile, said she expected more struggling families to be coming to the CAB for help and advice as a result of the budget.

Here are some of the key benefit and tax changes announced by Mr Osborne today - and what our two experts think of them...

Tax credits and universal credit to be restricted to two children only from April 2017 - This might have a big impact on families with more than two children, Rebecca Jeffrey warned. A working mother with three children currently receives £250 a month, but would lose some of this. "It might be very difficult for her to stay in work."

It was often argued that parents shouldn't have children if they couldn't afford to pay for them, Helen Barnard said. But often circumstances change. A couple may be able to afford to support their children when they have them - but then one or both might lose their job. However hard they tried, parents who might be harder up as a result of the change will find it hard to insulate their children from the drop in income, she warned - so children will suffer. The good news - at least it seems the change will affect only new claimants from 2017.

Working age benefits to be frozen for four years - This would mean benefits in real terms being pushed back to 2007/8 levels, said Helen Barnard. But since then, the cost of key essentials - such as food, clothing, rent, utilities and transport - have risen by an average of 29 per cent. So people on low incomes will be hard hit.

Young adults aged 18-21 no longer able to automatically claim housing benefit - The CAB has estimated that this will affect about 19,000 young adults across the country. It will make it harder for young people to establish their independence - and will put more strain on families who might have to continue supporting young adults, said Rebecca Jeffrey. There will need to be clear exceptions for vulnerable young people or those who might be living in abusive situations, she said.

Higher-income households living in council or other social housing to be expected to pay market rate rents - All very well... but this may well push more people into the private rented sector, which has its own problems, said Rebecca Jeffrey Introduction of a new national living wage for all workers aged over 25, which will start at £7.20 an hour from April next year and rise to £9 by 2020 "We really welcome a national living wage," said Rebecca Jeffrey. "But there also needs to be a recognition that work needs to be secure." There are too many people working part time or on zero hours contracts who cannot plan for the future because of the insecurity of their wage, she said.

Establishing the national living wage was a good start, added Helen Barnard. But the minimum wage would have risen to £8.23 an hour anyway by 2020. So they'll actually be only 77p an hour better off.

Raising the personal allowance, at which people start paying tax, to £11,000 from next year. - This will help anybody in work, says Helen Barnard, so is welcome. But only £1 out of every £7 will benefit those on the lowest income, she pointed out, because those on higher incomes will also benefit. So it isn't a measure that is targeted at those who most need help.