Cities of London and Westminster: £3 million extra to tackle rough sleeping
- More than a third of rough sleepers in Westminster
- Nickie Aiken MP: ‘Local authorities like Westminster must be at heart of new rough sleeping polices’
Cities of London and Westminster will receive £2,970,735 of extra government funding to tackle rough sleeping this year, MP Nickie Aiken has confirmed.
City of London will receive £590,300 and Westminster City Council will receive £2,380,435, supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
This is part of a new £112 million pot for councils across England through the government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative, which aims to get people off the streets and in to safe and secure accommodation.
The Rough Sleeping Initiative has cut the number of rough sleepers by a third (32 per cent), in its areas of operation, since its introduction in 2018.
Nickie Aiken MP said:
“I am delighted that funding to tackle rough sleeping in Cities of London and Westminster will increase by almost £3 million this year.
“There is still a lot more we can do, and I’ll be working with the council and local organisations to ensure the additional funds are spent locally in the most effective way, so that no one in our area has to sleep out in the cold this winter.
“The Rough Sleeping Strategy Review to be launched in March 2020 is an opportunity for Government to begin reforming the current system and to really look into real ground-breaking reforms that will transform and save lives. Local authorities like Westminster, where 35% of London’s rough sleeping happens, must be at the heart of the new polices that will be introduced. I hope to see some of the funding directed at the underlying causes of rough sleeping, such as providing more support for those with mental health and addiction issues.”
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said:
“No-one should have to face a night on the street and we have a moral duty to support those who need help the most. We are focusing relentlessly on this issue and our efforts have already led to the first nationwide fall in rough sleeping in a decade – and the areas funded by our Rough Sleeping Initiative have seen rough sleeping numbers fall around a third more than they would be without this vital programme. But we need to go further. That is why we are providing this funding so vital work can continue as we set out to end rough sleeping once and for all.”
