See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SOPHIE CHURCH - POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 22:00 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 22:27 BST, 19 August 2026
Cracks are already starting to appear in Andy Burnham's scheme to give all rough sleepers a bed this Christmas - as he admitted Government may not have the money to pay for it.The Prime Minister promised this week to get all rough sleepers off the streets over Christmas as part of his plans to end homelessness altogether.He pledged an extra £102million to the scheme on top of the £340million already announced to help end rough sleeping – to be fully funded from Government coffers.And the PM tasked mayors and councils with finding rough sleepers suitable accommodation over the festive period in his bid to drain power from Westminster.But in the first test of his devolution plans, Mr Burnham admitted on Wednesday that Government cash may not 'be enough' to deliver the scheme.Speaking on a visit to the North-East, the Prime Minister warned that 'Government money itself may not fully be enough' and said: 'We're saying to the wider community, voluntary, and faith sector: come on, let's get behind this. Let's show what Britain can do when we all pull in the same direction.'He added: 'We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again, and it's a rallying call, really, that I'm putting out there today with a lot of Government money behind it.' The Prime Minister, pictured on Wednesday, promised this week to get all rough sleepers off the streets over Christmas as part of his plans to end homelessness altogether Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly, pictured in March, said that Mr Burnham's promise to end rough sleeping is 'already falling apart mere hours after he announced it'But shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said that Mr Burnham's promise to end rough sleeping is 'already falling apart mere hours after he announced it'.He added: 'He's been forced to admit there might not be enough money for it. And he still can't say where the cash will come from, or where the rough sleepers will be put. Once again he has made an announcement without any plan for delivery.'Labour's abysmal failure to build new homes and their inability to control our borders have left people fighting to get hold of limited accommodation.'Considering his poor record on rough sleeping in Greater Manchester, there is little reason to believe Burnham can come good on this pledge.'And Liam Robinson of the Local Government Association said that councils are integral to preventing homelessness, 'but need sustainable resourcing and empowerment to ensure any progress is lasting'.Sean Matthews, chair-elect of the County Councils Network added: 'It is vital that these councils receive a proportionate amount of funding from today's announcement and that rough sleeping is not seen as purely a major city problem'.The latest annual national statistics, published by the Government in February, estimated there were 4,793 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England.This was a new record high and the fourth annual increase in a row, with just over two in five of those sleeping rough in London and the South-East.But Angela Rayner insisted yesterday she is 'very confident' that enough accommodation can be found to get everyone off the streets by Christmas.She told LBC: 'I'm very confident that we can do that.'And working with people like Shelter, working with the charities and the faith sector, working with local authorities, I believe we can do it.'The Government refused to respond to a request for comment.
