London councils given £2.7m to help rough sleepers

London councils are due to get a share of £2.7m to help people sleeping on the streets.

Government funding, intended to prevent winter deaths is being split among five areas of the capital.

The north-central region, which takes in Westminster with the highest number of rough sleepers, will receive nearly £1m. The south-west, which includes Kingston, is set to receive the least at £156,000.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner described the move as "immediate action" while also taking steps to tackle this crisis at its root.

The money is from a £10m national emergency fund which the government says will protect rough sleepers by paying for access to a safe and warm bed.

It is aimed at preventing unnecessary deaths and the allocation of funds was based on the need identified, a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesperson said.

Figures released last week showed the number of people sleeping rough in London has risen by almost a fifth to a new record.

A total of 4,780 rough sleepers were seen on the capital's streets between July and September, according to the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) statistics.

'A jungle out here'

One rough sleeper who wanted to remain anonymous said the profile of people sleeping on the streets had changed.

"It was just addicts and alcoholics, nowadays there's people who have gotten rent arrears and got kicked out."

Gareth, a former Welsh Guard who sleeps on the streets around central London's busiest shopping areas, said living this way "will break you" and help was hard to get.

He said he has seen other homeless people getting beaten up and set on fire.

"It's like a jungle out here. If you're not a junkie, if you're not an alcoholic, if you don't have mental health issues, they won't help you."

Rayner said the government will aim to tackle the longer-term issues behind the rise in rough sleeping nationally with the establishment of a "government taskforce".

She said: "Bringing together ministers across government is a crucial step to tackle this crisis at its root, to ensure everyone has access to the basic right of safe, secure housing."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he "welcomed" the funding and repeated a pledge to work with the government, councils and charities to end rough sleeping by 2030.

"However, there is still much more to be done. It's shameful that rough sleeping is rising in the capital and across the country," he added.

Francesca Albanese, from the homeless charity Crisis, warned the money "won't be enough" to meet the scale of the challenge as rough sleeping rises.

She urged the government to deliver a strategy to end homelessness of all kinds, including those living in temporary accommodation.

"Then we will finally have a clear plan in place to fix this broken system for good," Ms Albanese said.