Burnham doubles rough sleeping budget and pledges help by Christmas

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has used the run-up to Wednesday's Budget to announce that funding for rough sleeping in England will double, with more money for emergency accommodation and practical support. The centrepiece is a pledge that every rough sleeper who wants help will be offered a bed or support by Christmas. The government says the drive will be permanent, not a short-term initiative, and Burnham hosted a homelessness summit at Downing Street to set out the approach.

The exact funding figure has been described in different ways. One announcement said an extra £450 million would be confirmed in the Budget. Other accounts said an extra £432 million was being added to £442 million announced in the summer, while another report put the extra sum at £400 million. The government has not yet set out where the money will come from. Burnham said it had been found, and further detail is expected on Wednesday. John Healey was also present at the announcement.

In a speech, Burnham said the policy would last as long as he and his government were in office. 'For as long as I'm here and as long as this government is in position, this will be permanent,' he said. He added: 'If you find anybody in your area who says we can't afford to do it, tell them from me, directly from here, that we can't afford not to do it.' He argued that failing to act would waste public money and people's potential.

The scale of the problem remains large. There are almost 5,000 rough sleepers in England, with 4,793 recorded last year. One man, Michael, who worked as a porter for 30 years before illness cost him his job and home, has now been housed. He described his first night on the streets as unsafe and said sleeping under cover still meant wet ground and cold. A charity said the new money would double its bed numbers.

The plan faces political scrutiny. The Conservatives say Burnham failed to get rough sleeping down when he was mayor of Greater Manchester, and that he cannot deliver nationally. Burnham rejected that. He said his Bed Every Night scheme cut numbers, but Greater Manchester became a magnet for people seeking help because it was the only area offering a bed every night. He argued that the approach only works if every area does it.

There are practical questions too. Giving every rough sleeper a route off the streets by Christmas is ambitious. The support on offer is meant to go beyond a bed, with mental health and alcohol addiction services. Much of the money is expected to go to local authorities and public institutions rather than small voluntary groups. A church-run service that offers showers and food said it had not heard of the plan and relies on donations to run for two hours. Reaching rough sleepers outside big cities and in rural areas will be a test.

The announcement is an early test of Burnham's premiership. Rough sleeping was one of his first promises on entering Downing Street, and he returned to it 99 days later with a pledge that success or failure will be visible on England's streets.