Burnham pledges £100m and calls for national coalition to end rough sleeping by Christmas

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged an additional £100m to tackle homelessness, issuing a call for councils, charities, and faith organisations to join a national effort to end rough sleeping by Christmas. Speaking during a visit to the north-east of England, Burnham acknowledged that public funding may not be sufficient to achieve this goal, urging a coordinated response modelled on the collective action seen during the pandemic.

The announcement positions homelessness as a central policy priority for the current government, providing a specific timeline and measurable target for public accountability. Burnham stated that the aim is to ensure every rough sleeper is offered accommodation before the festive period, while recognising that some individuals may decline such offers for personal reasons. He emphasised that a nationwide initiative is required, as regional efforts alone have proven insufficient to prevent the movement of people seeking support.

Burnham noted that leaving people to sleep on the streets often incurs higher costs for the state due to frequent interactions with emergency departments, hospitals, and police services. He argued that a unified approach across all areas is necessary to address these systemic costs and provide consistent support. The Prime Minister also highlighted the need for collaboration with the private sector, announcing plans to host an autumn summit involving leaders from business, finance, health, and faith communities to coordinate the response.

This policy shift follows the release of national statistics in February, which recorded a new high of 4,793 people sleeping rough in England in autumn 2025. This figure marked the fourth consecutive annual increase, with 43% of those individuals located in London and the south-east. The data underscores the scale of the challenge facing local authorities and the central government as they attempt to reverse this trend.

In a personal commitment to the cause, Burnham stated he would donate 15% of his additional prime ministerial salary to homelessness charities. He cited his previous tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester, where he introduced schemes such as "A Bed Every Night," as a foundation for this approach. Although those schemes initially reduced rough sleeping numbers, the figure subsequently rose as people travelled to the region to access support, a dynamic Burnham said the new national funding is designed to mitigate.

The Prime Minister’s remarks suggest a strategic shift towards leveraging non-governmental resources to supplement state spending. By framing the issue as a collective societal responsibility rather than solely a governmental one, the administration seeks to broaden the base of support for homelessness services. The upcoming autumn summit will serve as the primary mechanism for aligning these diverse sectors towards the shared objective of reducing rough sleeping by the end of the year.