THE man hoping to be elected as Taunton Deane's LibDem MP at the next election has called for the rollout of Universal Credit to be scrapped in the district.

Gideon Amos claims it has led to spiralling homelessness as a majority of landlords would not be prepared to rent out their properties to people on the benefit package.

Mr Amos said: "Conservatives seem to be living in a fantasy land of people with thousands more in their pockets – in reality the cruelty of Universal Credit is that it is taking money out of the pockets of the poorest in our community and driving both tenants and landlords into debt.

"What is needed is a positive policy to end homelessness altogether. The LibDems' Housing First policy has been proved to work around the world. It is a simple remedy, saves public money and would deal with a modern-day disgrace to our town.

"The government needs to take responsibility and ensure that we do not have a disaster in homelessness occurring. We must protect those most vulnerable by halting the flawed rollout of Universal Credit."

Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow said: "Universal Credit is bringing much needed change to the welfare system, making sure it pays to work, helping people to get into and progress within work. The new system has been praised by many, including Citizens Advice.

"Having monitored the roll out locally, I am pleased that my recommendations for improvements have been introduced to make the system work better, including a free phone line and an option for an advanced payment.

"According to Taunton Deane Borough Council rough sleeping has changed little here, rising by just two in the last three years.

"Homelessness is a complex issue, and the tools introduced in the Homelessness Reduction Act, that I worked on cross party, set a serious ambition to eliminate rough sleeping by 2027."

Rhoda Cooke, Citizens Advice Taunton welfare rights co-ordinator, said the principles behind UC are "sound", but the flaws in its design and delivery problems was leaving many people's "finances in tatters", which could in turn put huge pressure on local services such as health, housing and social care.