Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has defended Andy Burnham’s record on tackling rough sleeping in Greater Manchester, arguing that it is “really difficult to do in isolation”.
It comes as the Government pledges to offer a place to stay to every rough sleeper by Christmas.
As mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham introduced schemes such as A Bed Every Night to provide emergency accommodation to those sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough.
Initially, the number of rough sleepers in Greater Manchester fell, but figures have risen each year for the past four years.
Ms Rayner told Sky News on Wednesday that this is because the policies in Greater Manchester “drew in people from other areas”.
She said: “We’ve got to keep a relentless focus on it. I think that’s the message from both what happened at the pandemic and also what happened in Greater Manchester.
“The other lesson from Greater Manchester is it’s really difficult to do in isolation.
“We saw the figures go down, but obviously then we drew in people from other areas into Greater Manchester who knew that there was an offer there.”
She later told Nick Ferrari on LBC: “When you don’t have that nationally, that is where you see the challenges, because you get hotspots where people are drawn to because there is a different level of support…
“You’ve got to make sure that it’s not just in one particular area, because then obviously other areas are not getting that support, and therefore people will move to the area where they think that there is the most support.”
Meanwhile, Ms Rayner said she is “very confident” that enough accommodation can be found to get everyone off the streets by Christmas.
She told LBC: “I’m very confident that we can do that.
“And working with people like Shelter, working with the charities and the faith sector, working with local authorities, I believe we can do it.”
The latest annual national statistics, published by the Government in February, estimated there were 4,793 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England.
This was a new record high and the fourth annual increase in a row.
At that stage 43% of all people sleeping rough were in London and the South East.
This week, the Government has committed to “offer everyone a route off the streets this Christmas”, although it is accepted that not every rough sleeper may take up the offer.
Mr Rayner told Sky News: “We can’t force people to accept that offer, but we will make sure that there is an offer and there is facilities that support people, in particular this winter, so that people don’t have to be rough sleeping.”
Mr Burnham has also said he will host what is being described as a first-of-its-kind national summit this autumn to “bring together leaders from across society – from business, finance, charities, health, faith communities and more – to ask what role each of them can play in ending rough sleeping”.
The Prime Minister, who pledged as his “first instruction” on day one in No 10 “to end rough sleeping in our country”, suggested people living on the streets has begun to become accepted over the years.
He said: “No-one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station. But we’ve seen it for so long that it feels like Westminster has started to accept it.
“I won’t accept it. That’s why my first instruction as Prime Minister was to end rough sleeping. And it’s why today we’re getting started with a national drive to get everyone in for Christmas.
“We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again. But it needs all of us. Government will put the money in, but I’m asking leaders in communities and sectors across society to play their part locally too.
“Let’s get people out the cold. And let’s bring back hope.”
Mr Burnham has announced an additional £102 million, from uncommitted budgets within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), to go towards immediate routes for people off the street this winter, including an £8.4 million boost to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, in recognition of the work of charities, faith groups and community organisations in this area.
The £102 million will go alongside the £340 million announced last month in funding for new support to get long-term rough sleepers into settled accommodation.
Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “Andy Burnham promised to end rough sleeping in Manchester, and failed because he didn’t do the hard work necessary.
“Now he is pledging to end it nationally without any plan for delivery. And as with many of his other commitments, there is very little detail on how this one will be paid for.”
Sir James added: “Labour must come clean on what other programmes they are cutting to pay for this project.
“Otherwise, struggling families will fear that yet more Labour tax rises are on the horizon.”
Deputy Reform UK leader Richard Tice dismissed the pledge as “yet another vague announcement with no substances which uses our most vulnerable for political point-scoring”.
“We’ll believe it when we see it. Andy Burnham’s record on homelessness has left a lot to be desired,” he said.
Liberal Democrat housing spokesman Gideon Amos said “sticking plasters won’t fix the homelessness crisis”, adding: “Liberal Democrats have called for a legal ‘somewhere safe to stay’ duty and for councils to be given the ringfenced funding they need to give everyone a real, lasting route off the streets.
“Fundamentally, the homelessness crisis goes hand in hand with the housing crisis – so it’s time for Andy Burnham to commit to the ambitious target Liberal Democrats have put forward to build 150,000 social homes per year.”
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