Rough sleeping: Leeds' £1.6m plan to get homeless people a bed by Christmas

This was part of a £432m funding boost to be included in the Budget to help ensure homeless people are off the streets by Christmas, as well as looking to provide a long-term solution.

Mr Burnham hosted a rough sleeping summit in Downing Street yesterday, saying: “Just think how it will feel if we get to the end of this year… and we know at a national level, that we did give every single person an offer of help this end of year.”

He went on: “I am asking you all from the front here today. Please, we must turn this into something tangible for everybody.

“It doesn’t mean that everybody will be able to take up the offer and everybody will be able to have their life turned around.

“But the fact that we give them that offer will put enough hope in their heart that something will be coming and something will change as we go into the new year. That’s our collective mission, everybody.”

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin announced yesterday that £3.7m would be committed across the region to providing accommodation and targeted support to those with complex needs.

Leeds was given almost half of the total, at £1.64m, and this will be up to the council to spend as it sees fit.

The city centre has a growing rough sleeping problem, with some women telling The Yorkshire Post they no longer feel safe after dark.

Coun Asghar Khan, executive member for housing, said: “We are very pleased to welcome this additional funding to support some of the most vulnerable people in Leeds, those rough sleeping.

“Through the Leeds Street Support Partnership and services commissioned by Leeds City Council such as the Crypt, St Annes, Change Grow Live (Street Outreach team) and BARCA-Leeds, we are committed to offering people the help they need as well as safe and secure emergency accommodation.

"This extra funding will enable to us build on this work with the aim of ensuring no-one feels they have no choice but to sleep rough in Leeds.”

Ms Brabin said that this is on top of £10m that she had allocated through the integrated settlement from government, which allows the mayor much more flexibility around funds.

She said: “I’ve always said everyone should have a warm, safe, and secure place to call home, and with the winter fast approaching, it’s only right we step in with support for people who need it most.

“Rough sleeping has become far too commonplace, and we must do everything we can to make sure nobody is forced to sleep rough in West Yorkshire.

“This is a positive step towards ensuring people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping can access the safe accommodation and support they need.

“Together with our partners, we are committed to strengthening local efforts to support people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.”

Bradford Council received the second highest level of funding in the region, at almost £700,000.

Leader Coun Stephen Place said: “We welcome this funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which will add real momentum to our work supporting people sleeping rough across the district.

"Alongside our partners, we are working tirelessly to make sure everyone sleeping rough in Bradford is offered a route off the streets by Christmas. Our Homeless Outreach Partnership won this year's LGC Award for Housing, which shows what can be achieved working in partnership.

"But our aim is not just to help people off the streets, it is to make sure they stay off them, by tackling the root causes of homelessness and supporting them into settled homes."

Mr Burnham made a commitment to tackling rough sleeping on his first day at Prime Minister.

Yesterday, he joined Chancellor John Healey for a visit to homeless charity The Connection by London’s Trafalgar Square.

He spoke to rough sleepers and staff at the facility, some of whom said demand was high and stressed the need for more social housing.

He also defended his record on tackling homelessness while mayor of Greater Manchester, saying figures “came right down” but the system faltered when people started travelling to the area to take advantage of the offer of a bed.

He suggested that his nationwide scheme will be more effective.

Asked about the Conservatives’ criticism of his record, he told broadcasters: “They are wrong about that because I had a 10-year drive called a bed every night, and if people look at the figures, it came right down.

“The issue was we were the only area that was offering a bed every night, so obviously people travelled to Greater Manchester.

“It’s clear to me that it only works if everywhere does it.

“It’s similar to the pandemic when we had everyone in. If everywhere does it, then you can make that difference.

“If areas are just doing it in isolation, then it probably isn’t going going to work.”

The most up-to-date, annual, national statistics estimated there were 4,793 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England. This is around 140 in West Yorkshire.