Andy Burnham has pledged to end rough sleeping in England in his first major announcement as prime minister, allocating an additional £340 million over three years to replicate the homelessness schemes he rolled out as mayor of Greater Manchester.
New funding and immediate action
Speaking outside Downing Street immediately after becoming prime minister, Burnham said he would work to get people off the streets “at the earliest opportunity.” The funding, equivalent to £113 million per year, will come from unused parts of the housing department’s budget and will pay for 1,200 new homes, supporting 3,000 people over five years.
“On my first day as prime minister, I’m announcing this government’s commitment to finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity,” Burnham said. “We’ll get to work immediately, bringing together national and local government with the investment needed to get it done.”
Reaction from campaigners and critics
Homelessness campaigners welcomed the pledge, stating it can be met with sufficient money and political will. However, critics expressed scepticism, noting that despite a similar goal as Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham oversaw four years of rising street homelessness. James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said: “His record in Manchester showed initial success, then failure once his focus shifted. It looks like he’s taking money from local projects to fund this announcement, so lots of the country will be disappointed.”
Background and policy details
The announcement echoes the “Everyone In” policy enacted during the Covid pandemic and a 2017 pledge to eliminate rough sleeping in Manchester within three years. As mayor, Burnham achieved early success with his “A Bed Every Night” programme and the “Housing First” scheme, reducing rough sleeping by two-thirds in his first five years. He forced collaboration among 10 councils, sharing data to track individuals and preventing evictions for minor misdemeanours.
Shabnum Mustapha, a former official at the Greater Manchester mayoralty, said: “In the early days it was hard, trying to bring together a bunch of statutory agencies and organisations which have been working on this problem for decades and decades. But by taking a big tent approach, working with different councils, other parties and organisations such as faith groups, he had a lot of success.”
However, rough sleeping has risen each of the past four years, now at three-quarters of the 2017 level. Supporters attribute this to the end of national pandemic support schemes, while opponents accuse Burnham of diverting focus. The previous government had allocated £3.5 billion for its homelessness strategy, aiming to halve long-term rough sleeping. Housing secretary Steve Reed, who oversaw that strategy, was sacked as Burnham formed his cabinet.
