Andy Burnham has used his first speech as PM outside 10 Downing Street to pledge to end rough sleeping in the UK.

This takes a commitment he made while as mayor of Greater Manchester to the national stage in a move that has been welcomed by homelessness charities.

Burnham said “It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government.”

This pledge will be backed by an additional £340m in funding, 10 Downing Street later announced.

Action will be lead locally and will back “proven local-led approaches that have helped to tackle rough sleeping in communities across the country”, added the government.

The extra funding is an “opening investment” said the government, to provide 1,200 homes and intensive support for at least 3,000 people.

Sarah Elliott, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Andy Burnham has hit on what’s needed to end the housing emergency for good – tackling long-term rough sleeping and building a new generation of social homes.

“Over the last decade homelessness has soared to record levels, with more than 176,000 children currently growing up homeless in damaging temporary accommodation.

"An affordable, decent home is the foundation for everything, giving people the building blocks they need to get on in life and setting children up to thrive. The Prime Minister must now focus on turning his vision into reality, turbocharging the delivery of social rent homes by getting councils building them again, like they used to.”

Ambition

Rick Henderson, chief executive of homelessness charity membership body Homeless Link has also welcomed Burnham's announcement saying "this is the kind of ambition our members on the frontline of the homelessness crisis have been demanding".

“Ensuring everyone has a safe and secure alternative to sleeping rough is crucial, but this must go alongside more radical changes to the system such as the housing first philosophy and preventative approaches adopted elsewhere in Europe - preventing homelessness wherever possible, and ending rough sleeping through guaranteeing everyone has a home call their own, and the support they need to keep it.

He added: "There is precedent. Andy Burnham has driven positive initiatives such as A Bed Every Night and Housing First in Greater Manchester.

"Our network of homelessness providers up and down the country stand ready to support him in his efforts - to end rough sleeping and to prevent all homelessness moving forwards."

Call to consult with charities

Homelessness charity ALABARÉ's CEO Andrew Lord called on Burnham to consult "with an expanded network of frontline organisations like ours" to make his plans to tackle rough sleeping "more robust and achievable, and to make a tangible difference to people’s lives”.

Meanwhile, deputy CEO of youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, Sally Orlopp, said: "It’s fantastic to see Andy Burnham pledge to end rough sleeping in one of his first acts as Prime Minister.

“It sends a clear signal that homelessness in all its forms can, and should, be stopped. For those at the sharp end of the housing crisis – and for young people in particular – this recognition is long overdue."

Greater Manchester record

While as mayor Burnham helped set up the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to tackle homelessness and donated part of his salary to the homelessness charity Crisis UK.

He also pledged to end rough sleeping in Manchester by 2020 when he took office in 2017. While this target was missed the number did fall by 57% over this period, according to the Manchester Mill.

However, it also found that homelessness in recent years in the city had risen, to its highest level since 2018 last year.

Prior to becoming PM housing charities had hoped Burnham would deliver on commitments to tackle homelessness.

A call had been made over the last week by the heads of 75 housing organisations in a letter coordinated by Homeless Link and including signatories such as Crisis UK and St Mungo’s.

“The homelessness sector is excited to see someone become Prime Minister who has a strong personal track record of championing homelessness reduction and some very real, on the ground experience of supporting projects that work,” added Fiona Colley, director of social change at Homeless Link.

---