Funding set to double for plan to get rough sleepers off streets by Christmas

As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham pledged to end rough sleeping in in the region by 2020, setting up the Bed Every Night scheme, which now provides more than 600 beds per night for people who might otherwise be on the streets.

When he was elected in 2017 government figures showed there were 268 rough sleepers across Greater Manchester, and by 2020 that figure had more than halved to 125 – meaning Burnham missed his target.

The numbers fell further to 90 in 2021, but the figures rose each year after that, reaching 197 by 2025.

Asked about his previous attempts to end rough sleeping in Manchester during his time as mayor of the region, he said: “I bring the learning from that to this.

“The reason why the figures went back up is because we were the only place that was offering a bed every night, so people came to Greater Manchester knowing that we were providing a higher level of support…I realised that it’s only if everywhere does it at the same level that you can actually end rough sleeping.”

The Conservatives’ Lam said: “Burnham is throwing another £432m at a problem he failed to solve in Greater Manchester.”

Across England, government figures show the number of people sleeping rough is at its highest level since records began in 2010.

Lam said: “Under Labour, rough sleeping has hit record highs – yet their answer is always more taxpayers’ money and more empty promises.

“Healey must use his Budget this week to cut taxes for working people, get the ballooning benefits bill under control, and stop pushing up energy prices.

“Instead of piling more costs onto hard-working people, Healey must focus on easing the cost of living and delivering real value for taxpayers’ money.”