Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Ansell Excerpts

Monday 24th February 2020 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

3. What steps he is taking to deliver the Government’s commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of the 2019 Parliament.

[Caroline Ansell (Eastbourne) (Con)]

5. What steps he is taking to deliver the Government’s commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of the 2019 Parliament.

[Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con)]

14. What steps he is taking to deliver the Government’s commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of the 2019 Parliament.

--- Later in debate ---

[Robert Jenrick]

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his invaluable work on the Homelessness Reduction Act. Since the Act was implemented, over 130,000 households have had their homelessness successfully prevented or relieved. We will be reviewing the implementation of the Act, including resourcing and how it is working in practice. Local authorities will now receive an additional £63 million in the next financial year through the homelessness reduction grant to carry out these duties. In the comprehensive spending review, which will set the multi-year spending review for local government, we will certainly take it very seriously.

[Caroline Ansell]

In Eastbourne, we will make very good use of our share of the £1.5 million from the Government to address this issue locally. Our winter night shelter, which is orchestrated by local churches and powered by volunteers and the generous support of local businesses such as Iron Maidens, will close its doors in a matter of days. Will my right hon. Friend meet me and other partners to look at what it would mean to seek to establish a shelter all year round?

[Robert Jenrick]

May I take this opportunity, like my hon. Friend, to pay tribute to all those involved in rough sleeping initiatives across the country? I visited many over the course of my six or seven months in this job and I have never failed to be incredibly impressed by their commitment and passion. I am sure that that is the case with the one in her constituency and I will, of course, happily meet her. The rough sleeping initiative, which the Government have pioneered, is working. Last year we saw the first fall in homelessness for many years, albeit a modest fall of 2%. I want to take that forward and I believe passionately that this is one of the great social ills that we can and will tackle as a Government.