BURNHAM PROMISES ROUGH SLEEPERS A ROUTE OFF THE STREETS

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to offer everyone sleeping rough in England a route off the streets by Christmas. Chancellor John Healey will announce another £432 million for rough sleeping in Wednesday’s Budget, bringing the government’s stated total to £874 million. Burnham will host private firms, charities and local leaders at a Downing Street summit on Monday to discuss their contribution. He said: “Rough sleeping isn’t a fact of life. It’s a thing governments either choose to accept or don’t.”

Government figures estimated that 4,793 people slept rough on a single night in England in autumn 2025. In Greater Manchester, government data recorded 444 people sleeping rough across its ten boroughs in June 2026, up from 402 in June 2025. The new funding follows a £442 million commitment earlier this year, which included nearly £17 million for Greater Manchester within a £37 million North West package. According to the government’s plans, the additional money will keep the rough sleeping programme running until the end of the current parliament in 2029.

At the summit, the National Housing Federation will work with housing associations to identify at least 2,000 potential homes and bedspaces. L’Oréal Group will launch a social salon partnership with St Mungo’s and Haircuts4Homeless. Virgin Media O2 will provide digital support to organisations working with people experiencing homelessness. The Salvation Army, Ikea, the Morrisons Foundation and Comic Relief will also attend. Burnham said the funding would support people beyond this winter and called for “every part of society” to help end rough sleeping.