As numbers hit the greatest level in ten years, Khan promises to spend an additional £10 million on crises if elected to a third term as mayor.
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| City hall’s rough sleeping budget has gone up from £8.45m in 2016 to £36.3m in 2023. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Alamy |
In London, where the number of people sleeping on the streets has increased to its highest point in ten years, Sadiq Khan has promised to eradicate rough sleeping.
Khan intends to spend an additional £10 million on what has been called a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the city if he is elected to a historic third term as mayor of London.
In London, 4,389 persons were tallied during the fourth quarter of 2023, a 23% year-over-year rise in rough sleeping and the highest number since city hall began keeping track of numbers in 2014. For the first time, more than half were sleeping on the streets.
On Monday, ahead of the 2 May mayoral election, Khan announced his most recent manifesto pledge. He would characterize the state of affairs as a scandal that has to be consigned to the annals of history.
Khan will declare: "A vote for Labour on May 2nd is a vote to finally put an end to the humiliation, fear, and isolation felt by those compelled to live on the streets."
The additional funding, according to Khan's campaign team, will be utilized to offer specialized evaluations and assistance to those living on the streets as they work to start over.
Khan will state that it is time "to reject the notion that homelessness is some natural, stubborn feature of modern life that we have no choice but to abide by" in his speech on Monday.
He will promise to "condemn the scandal of rough sleeping to history, not just for a short time but for all time," and he will assure voters that the previous Labour government "all but eradicated" rough sleeping.
Since 2010, there has been a more than twofold increase in rough sleeping in Britain, and the number of homeless persons living in temporary housing has reached an all-time high.
The rough sleeping budget at City Hall increased from £8.45 million in 2016 to £36.3 million in 2023; yet, homelessness charities have deemed the most recent data regarding the number of people living on London's streets to be appalling.
Westminster, Camden, and Ealing were the three London boroughs with the highest number of rough sleepers. 40% of those tallied were from the UK, with the remaining individuals coming from Europe (24%), Africa (15%), Asia (10%), and other/unknown regions (11%).
Despite a Conservative 2019 campaign pledge to eradicate rough sleeping before to the next general election, there was a rise in rough sleeping in every county of England between 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, there were an anticipated 3,898 homeless persons, a 27% yearly increase that represents the highest number since 2015. The figures compared to 2010 have more than doubled, rising by 120%.
A backbench rebellion is currently opposing the government's proposals to make it illegal for people to sleep on the streets.
MPs are expected to vote on legislation aimed at granting police the authority to fine or evict "nuisance" rough sleepers prior to autumn.
The draft law, according to critics, could lead to arrests, fines of £2,500, or even jail time for "excessive odour" or for just giving the impression that someone plans to sleep rough.
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