Burnham pledges to end rough sleeping in England in first speech as prime minister
Summary
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised to end rough sleeping in England by investing an extra £340 million over three years. He aims to use strategies similar to those he implemented as mayor of Greater Manchester, which initially reduced homelessness, but recent national trends show rough sleeping has increased.Key Facts
- Andy Burnham announced a plan to end rough sleeping in England with a new investment of £340 million over three years.
- The funding will come from unused housing department budgets and will support building 1,200 new homes and helping 3,000 people over five years.
- Burnham’s approach is based on policies from his time as Greater Manchester mayor, where rough sleeping was initially reduced by two-thirds.
- The plan involves cooperation between national and local governments.
- The previous government had allocated £3.5 billion to homelessness, aiming to cut long-term rough sleeping in half.
- Critics note that rough sleeping has increased over the past four years in Greater Manchester despite Burnham’s earlier success.
- Burnham’s strategy echoes the “Everyone In” policy used during the Covid pandemic, which temporarily housed rough sleepers.
- Housing Secretary Steve Reed, who managed the previous homelessness strategy, was removed from his post as Burnham formed his cabinet.
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