A senior councillor says he fears for the most vulnerable after the Government refused to reconsider cuts to an emergency housing fund.

Enfield Council's cabinet member for housing Councillor Ahmet Oykener wrote to welfare advisor Lord David Freud and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith about cutting the authority's discretionary housing payment from £2.7million to £1.6million.

The payment is given to councils by the Government to help residents who are struggling with housing costs.

In a letter sent last month, Cllr Oykener said that if the cut was not reviewed then it would "create an unfair and unbridgeable gap in support that will deeply affect some of our most vulnerable residents and their families".

Cllr Oykener also called for "additional assistance over and above the grant allocation currently planned."

However, in a response on March 17, Lord Freud said he believed the cut was fair and would continue to "review" the situation in Enfield.

Cllr Oykener said: "We have seen a jump of people being booked into temporary accommodation from 630 in 2012/13 to 997 in 2014/15. That is a massive jump and the cuts are only going to leave us in dire straits and people vulnerable.

"This is the fourth biggest cut not just in London but in the country and I cannot say I am surprised by the response I received but I was hoping to be wrong.

"I am very disappointed and let down from what I got back last week; we are going to look at our current situation with cutbacks already having to be made to our budget. I fear for the most vulnerable families."