Andy Burnham pledged to end rough sleeping in London and other parts of the country in his first commitment since becoming Prime Minister. Speaking outside No10, after being invited to form a Government by the King, Mr Burnham said: “I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country. It's about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government.”
First Instruction as Prime Minister
The former Greater Manchester Mayor added: “I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do. I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me. Let's build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose, and positivity. Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again—the moment we bring back hope.”
Mr Burnham has unveiled a highly-ambitious programme to deliver what he says will be the biggest change in British politics for 40 years. He said he would give details of how this would be funded on Tuesday, having pledged to unleash the largest council homes building programme in the post-war period.
£340 Million to Tackle Rough Sleeping
Mr Burnham visited a homeless centre in Victoria, central London, on Monday morning before going to Buckingham Palace. Later, he announced an extra £340 million to tackle rough sleeping, to take funding for this issue to record levels. The new funding is the first phase of investment in a wider five-year programme that will provide homes and support for thousands of the people facing the most severe and long-term homelessness, his Government said. The money aims to provide 1,200 homes and intensive support for at least 3,000 people.
London MPs, including Steve Reed, who was Communities Secretary in Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, have highlighted the shocking level of rough sleeping in the capital with its huge wealth. Mr Burnham is set to announce further steps to address this issue before the autumn.
Challenges Ahead
His promise, though, will be challenging to achieve as rough sleeping is a highly-complex problem. Many people who end up sleeping on the street have multiple problems, including mental health issues, drug addiction, and other challenges. Crisis research shows that a year of rough sleeping costs an estimated £20,128 per person, the Government said, compared to £1,426 for a successful prevention intervention.
Just weeks ago, the London Assembly Housing Committee said that the number of people sleeping rough in London was at a record high, up 63% since 2015/16 and going up year on year since 2021/22. It said that pressure on homelessness services and gaps in outreach support were contributing to persistently high levels of rough sleeping in the capital.
Committee chairman Lord Bailey of Paddington, who lost to Sir Sadiq Khan in the 2021 mayoral race, said: “Rough sleeping in London continues to rise to record levels, and the system designed to support people is simply not working properly. Our investigation shows there are real concerns about whether current services are actually reaching those who need them most.”
Reaction from London Mayor
Sir Sadiq, who was given a peerage last week as Sir Keir Starmer was departing from No10, welcomed Mr Burnham’s commitment on rough sleeping. He posted on X: “I’m excited to work with our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. His plans for greater devolution will help our city to boost housebuilding and deliver even more council homes, which we’ve made a top priority at City Hall. I’m also pleased that he will use all the powers of government to end the scourge of rough sleeping.”
