Blackpool awarded additional £42k to help tackle rough sleeping
The government is giving Blackpool a huge cash injection to tackle rough sleeping this winter.
Blackpool Council is set to receive £42,000 more than expected, bringing the total budget to over £68,000.
In November, the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government allocated £10m in additional funding to areas with the highest rough sleeping pressures to support local authorities in their efforts to protect the lives of rough sleepers over the winter.
Last week I met homelessness minister Rushanara Ali to discuss homelessness in Blackpool and this week she has written to council leaders to inform them the funding will be increased by a further £20m.
Meeting with homelessness minister Rushanara Ali last week
The additional £42,000 Blackpool will receive is separate from the £2.86 million announced to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping more broadly in the 2025/26 financial year.
We are facing a homelessness crisis across the country, with record levels that are nothing short of a national disgrace. The ongoing cold weather is putting those with the most complex needs at heightened risk.
Similarly to many seaside towns, national figures indicate that Blackpool experiences a high level of homelessness. I know that this is a real and pressing issue that requires care and attention, and the current numbers in Blackpool are unacceptably high.
Over the last quarter, 500 people have contacted Blackpool Council claiming threat of homelessness, there are as many as 20 rough sleepers at any one time in our town and homelessness figures have increased by 50% in the last two years.
With temperatures dropping over the past few months, Severe Weather Emergency Protocol has kicked into action over two periods – 18th-25th November, and 31st December-13th January – where additional efforts have been made to give street homeless people shelter.
See me asking for more support to tackle homelessness in Blackpool ahead of this announcement
The homelessness partnership, through which the council works with the third sector and local charities, has been working hard not only to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place, but also to support those who are already homeless or at risk of this happening. I’ve been engaging with the homelessness partnership regularly, as well as attending quarterly meetings to keep up to date with where we’re at on this.
Extreme winter weather and the harsh, cold temperatures put rough sleepers at risk of ill health and can even lead to fatalities. I’m glad to see that this crisis is being tackled head on, with funding being provided to help vulnerable people who need it most.
Our frontline services are doing everything they can to address the root causes of homelessness in our community, working towards the collective goal of helping people get back on their feet, and into a situation where they are safe, healthy and happy.
On 31st January, I’ll be joining a Front Line Workers Forum hosted by Streetlife to hear the first hand experiences of people working on the front line with those experiencing homelessness – ensuring that the voices of those who truly understand the challenges we face are at the centre of my work too.
