Struggling families in Huddersfield are unable to meet their weekly bills, according to a new study.

Half of in-debt households surveyed about the impact of benefits changes are unable to meet their weekly repayments and the average amount owed has risen by more than 50% in 18 months.

The findings are revealed in the sixth report from Real Life Reform – a major study by social landlords into the lives of up to 100 Northern households affected by welfare reforms.

Nine families in Kirklees are among those who shared their experiences in the study, and Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (KNH) is among the landlords involved in the project.

The study showed:

One in two in-debt households are unable to regularly meet their weekly repayments

Average debt per household has increased by 55% from £2,288 in the study’s first report in September 2013 to £3,554 now

64% of households are now in debt, compared with 74% in the last report in October 2014. However, some participants have used Debt Relief Orders to wipe out debt

Matthew Gaunt is a Real Life Reform steering group member and manager in KNH’s Rent Assist team, which collects rent on behalf of Kirklees Council and also provides a specialist money and debt advice service.

He said: “For the last 18 months we have been following the experiences of households and it is clear that the challenge of keeping their heads above water remains extremely difficult for many.

“While fewer households are in debt now compared to our last report in October, that reduction is due in part to the use of Debt Relief Orders. But while this might appear to address an immediate issue but it affects people’s credit ratings and can impact on their ability to open a bank account.

“For those remaining in debt, average debts are significantly higher than at the start of the study and it is clear that people are finding it hard to make regular payments. Households in the study report constantly the struggle to juggle their money and tell us that they have no safety net to fall back on.”

The report also shows the lowest levels of employment since the study started, with 23.5% of households having one or more people in work.

Ten housing providers including KNH are working on Real Life Reform to investigate how the lives of tenants affected by welfare reform are changing. The study is looking at their housing, health, wellbeing, financial, education and employment prospects.