ARREARS from the so-called "bedroom tax" could become an issue again next year if the UK Government makes even bigger cuts to welfare funding, council officials have warned.

The Scottish Government provided cash for the current year - 2014/15 - to mitigate the benefit cuts faced by social housing tenants under the spare room subsidy and councils said it had been a success.

However, there are fears that even though the cash will be available again from Holyrood the UK could cut its contribution, leaving a shortfall.

Council officials also told the Scottish Parliament Welfare Reform Committee there remained issues with arrears for the previous year which were not fully mitigated.

Jonathan Sharma, policy manager with local authority umbrella group Cosla, said: "We need to see what happens with the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions). There is nothing to say it will be different from the Scottish Government assumption."

However, Morag Johnston, Glasgow City Council assistant director of financial services, said: "We have some concerns about the 2015/16 allocation from the DWP, not the Scottish Government.

"We understand there was a risk it could have been reduced last year, but are concerned that could be the case in 2015/16."

Concern about the overall purpose of Discretionary Housing Payments being affected was also raised by anti-poverty campaigners.

Carla McCormack, policy officer with the Poverty Alliance, said: "We have had people raise with us that DHP is now being solely used for bedroom tax and there are other considerations - people affected by the benefit cap, for example.

"Councils have to think how they will fund those cases."

Keith Dryburgh, of Edinburgh City Council, said: "DHP was not set up for the bedroom tax. Under-25s, who don't get housing benefit, is one example.

"It is important we realise there are additional purposes, not just bedroom tax."

Councils also said they still had arrears from the last year.

Tory MSP Alex Johnstone said Nicola Sturgeon told the committee councils could use surplus from this year to fund arrears from previous years.

However, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and North Ayrshire councils all told the committee they had no surplus, and Edinburgh had an overspend.