Government Accused Of A “Total Lack Of Urgency” In Tackling Homelessness
Last year the government set up a homeless task force to address the issue head-on – but it still hasn’t met because plans for that first meeting are ‘still being finalised’.
A report in 24 Housing says the Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce was announced by Philip Hammond in his Autumn Budget last November – with government claiming a commitment to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it by 2027. In response to a parliamentary question from John Healey, Labour’s shadow housing secretary, Heather Wheeler, parliamentary under secretary for housing, said: “Arrangements for the inaugural meeting are currently being finalised.” Labour accused the government of a “total lack of urgency” on the part of ministers over homelessness and rough sleeping.
The number of people declared homeless has increased 48% since the Tories came to power in 2010, while the number sleeping rough shot up 169%. Mr Healey said that homelessness is spiralling out of control. “This shames us all, and Conservative ministers most of all, he said. “Rising homelessness is a direct result of decisions made by the Conservatives: a steep drop in investment for affordable homes, crude cuts to housing benefit, reduced funding for homelessness services, and a refusal to help private renters.”
“Now my question to ministers reveals they’ve still not even fixed the first meeting of a promised taskforce on homelessness, three months after it was announced. It shows a total lack of urgency.”
Labour has pledged to end rough sleeping within its first term in office while tackling the root causes of rising homelessness. Last week, homelessness hit home with MPs when a homeless man was found dead at Westminster tube station, yards from an entrance to Parliament in an underpass through which many MPs walk on their way to work. The 35-year-old man had spent the night in sub-zero temperatures that struck the capital. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among those to leave tributes at the scene, his card read: “This should never have happened. As a country we must stop walking by.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said a related rough sleeping advisory panel – with representation from charities and local government – met for the first time this month to help inform the ‘upcoming’ Ministerial Taskforce. The statement referenced £1bn worth of investment to tackle all forms of homelessness and reform through the Homelessness Reduction Act.
