THOUSANDS of pounds worth of benefits due to vulnerable people have gone unclaimed after council bosses failed to replace a crucial officer, an opposition councillor has claimed.

In the six months to October last year, Darlington Borough Council had £600,000 worth of benefits available, but only £516,000 was claimed.

The money is due to the elderly, single mothers and people on low incomes.

Liberal Democrat councillor Mike Barker said people missed out on the financial help because the authority has been without a Welfare Rights manager since August last year.

The job of the welfare officer is to help people get access to these benefits, he said.

A lot of people dont know how the benefits system works. People need advice to find their way around a very complicated benefits system.The people most in need are the ones that have the least ability to negotiate the welfare system.

The welfare rights officer and the Citizens Advice Bureau are the only services there to help people.

They need specialist knowledge to find their way around.

Coun Barker accused the ruling Labour administration of keeping the post open to save money.

The last welfare rights officer left at the end of August, and must have worked a months notice - it couldnt take six months to fill the post, he said.

I think it was simply a cost cutting measure. They left it open so they could meet their target for savings for the year.We hear that the council is not making cuts which affect front line services, but if this is not a front line service, I dont know what is.

Reports prepared for the councils neighbourhood services scrutiny committee reveal that claims which would have been processed by the welfare rights manager have been on hold for nearly eight months.

A council spokeswoman said: The vacant post is a specialist one and it has taken time to recruit the right person. There is a shortage of people with the necessary qualifications for this role. However, we hope the new manager will be in post imminently.

"As well as having a new manager, we will also have new advice workers working both here at the council and within other partner organisations, including Age Concern and the Citizens Advice Bureau in the town, who will be able to help ensure those who need the money most are receiving what they are entitled to.