SOCIAL Services minister Frank Field has a brief to "think the unthinkable" on reform of the welfare state.

But, surely, it is unthinkable that benefits claimants might in future might be turned down simply because of where they live rather than for what their needs are.

Yet, here we have Mr Field giving a hint that the country's 500 local Social Security offices might be given control of their own budgets - and that the savings they make on the benefits bill could be ploughed into schools and hospitals.

Few will quibble with the need to curb the welfare explosion that has now swollen to £2billion a week or with the notion that education and health might benefit from reining it in.

But the prospect of regionalised budgets heralds the possibility of people living in the area of a benefit office that has overspent its budget or is running out of resources having their claims refused or payments reduced whereas claimants with exactly the same needs living in an area where the benefits office is in the black might still be paid in full.

That would be as ridiculous as it would be unjust.

There are lots of places Mr Field can look for savings first - beginning with the huge drain that fraud has on the benefits system.

In this case, it would seem that Mr Field must think again.

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