Burnham asks English councils to house all homeless veterans by Christmas

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to get all homeless veterans off the streets by Christmas. He is asking councils in England to draw up plans to offer accommodation to every veteran sleeping rough in their area, and he will write to every English council ahead of Armistice Day on Wednesday.

Burnham told ITV News that no one who has served the country should be left to sleep rough. "Nobody who has ever served our country should be left to sleep on the streets. It's as simple as that," he said. He added that he would communicate the message to all levels of government. ITV News reported that funding has also been released to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with national UK charities working in those countries.

ITV political reporter Lewis Warner said the pledge echoed Burnham's first day in Downing Street, when he promised to end rough sleeping altogether. ITV reported that £9 million of funding would accompany the veterans pledge. Sky News gave a different figure: £8.7 million shared between eight organisations to help housing providers support veterans with complex needs, including health problems, addictions or employment support. The two reports differ on the amount, though both describe money for accommodation and support.

Sky News political correspondent Amanda Akass said the announcement was timed to coincide with Remembrance Sunday and was part of a broader promise Burnham made on his first day as prime minister to end homelessness. Sky News also reported that the government has set aside a further £874 million for homelessness, taking total funding to £4.4 billion. In the same report, Sky News said the most recent estimate last autumn put the number of rough sleepers at nearly 5,000, a record high. It said around 3% of rough sleepers are thought to be veterans, and that around 300 to 400 veterans become homeless each year.

ITV News reported that Burnham joined the King and Queen at a service of remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. It also reported that past attempts by several governments to tackle the issue had failed and that some veterans have turned down accommodation they considered unsuitable or unsafe for their mental or physical health.

ITV News filmed at a camp for homeless veterans on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. A former army corporal who started the camp said the plan would not work because there was no accommodation and no mental health support. "There's no point putting them in there in one of these charities if they're not going to get any support," he said. ITV reported that Burnham is relying on councils and other organisations to deliver the pledge with just under two months until Christmas.