Tenants living in private rental accommodation and who receive benefits have been offered a rent reduction negotiation service.

Islington Council in London is expecting to be one of the worst hit areas when new benefit caps come in next April, due it says to high private sector rents and the high proportion of lone parents.

The caps will mean that the most a single person with no children can get is £350 a week, and the most lone parents and couples with or without children can get is £500.

Islington Council believes over 1,000 of its households will be affected.

As well as offering to negotiate cuts in private rent, the authority is also offering housing relocations, either within or outside the borough.