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Andy Burnham calls on Starmer to tackle ‘explosion of homelessness'

Andy Burnham calls on Starmer to tackle ‘explosion of homelessness'

Independent3 days ago
Rough sleeping has almost doubled since Covid, a damning report found, with Andy Burnham calling on Sir Keir Starmer to make tackling homelessness a 'moral mission'.
The Greater Manchester mayor piled pressure on the prime minister to follow the success of the region offering housing to the homeless.
'If you set people up to succeed – they largely do,' Mr Burnham said. He added: 'Tackling homelessness is not just an economic imperative, but also a moral mission.'
Mr Burnham's calls came as a report by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) warned of an 'explosion in homelessness' following the pandemic.
It found a 94 per cent increase in rough sleeping since Covid, with around 47,000 people sleeping on the streets in England in the last year.
The CSJ warned rough sleeping is 'just the tip of the iceberg', with councils across the country spending billions on temporary accommodation and being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.
Labour's manifesto promised to 'put Britain back on track to ending homelessness' after saying progress tackling the crisis was undone under the Conservatives.
It committed to working with mayors and councils across the country on a strategy to end rough sleeping.
The CSJ called on Labour to adopt a so-called Housing First approach similar to Greater Manchester's, which provides the homeless with immediate, unconditional access to permanent housing and ongoing support.
'Housing First has been shown to be the most effective and well-evidenced intervention to end homelessness for Britain's most disadvantaged and entrenched rough sleepers,' the report said.
It found that Housing First is three and a half times more effective than conventional homelessness services, with 84 per cent of users sustaining long-term housing after three years in the programme.
Rolling out Housing First across England would take 5,571 people off the streets by 2029/30, around a tenth of all rough sleepers.
And the CSJ said it is 'excellent value for money', with every £1 spent freeing up £2 in temporary accommodation and other costs.
CSJ chief executive Andy Cook said: 'Housing First has emerged as one of the most effective approaches to ending rough sleeping. Angela Rayner now has a unique opportunity to champion a national rollout which would be a gamechanger in the fight to end rough sleeping.'
And Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram, whose region has also trialled Housing First, said: 'We've proven it works. Now we need to match that with ambition, and make it the foundation of a national mission to end homelessness for good.'
And the Steve Morgan Foundation, which supports charities, said Housing First had been 'transformative' and 'it is now time for the government to take this success to the rest of England'.
Chairman Steve Morgan said: 'I know firsthand the importance of a stable home. Without one, nothing else in life works, not your health, not your relationships, and not your ability to find or keep a job. That's why I believe Housing First holds the key to tackling rough sleeping in England.'
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'We are taking urgent and decisive action to end homelessness, fix the foundations of local government and drive forward our Plan for Change.
'We are providing £1bn for crucial homelessness and rough sleeping services including funding for Housing First and other forms of accommodation for people who sleep rough.
'This is alongside tackling the root causes by building 1.5 million new homes, abolishing section 21 no fault evictions and boosting social and affordable housing – backed by £39bn investment.'
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Readers' Letters: Scotland's tax system isn't to blame for state of economy
Readers' Letters: Scotland's tax system isn't to blame for state of economy

Scotsman

time26 minutes ago

  • Scotsman

Readers' Letters: Scotland's tax system isn't to blame for state of economy

David Lonsdale of the Scottish Retail Consortium has called on the Scottish Government to reduce business rates Underinvestment, inequality and political drift are the big problems for Scotland's economy, says reader Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Blaming Scotland's modestly more progressive tax system for UK-wide economic stagnation is a red herring. The reality is that our economic woes are driven by long-term underinvestment, inequality, and political drift, not by slightly higher taxes on top earners in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In fact, compared to many similar countries, including those we often admire – like Germany or the Nordic nations – Scotland's personal tax rates remain lower. People in these countries often pay more in tax, while enjoying more disposable income overall because strong social infrastructure, like cheaper childcare and housing, reduce everyday costs. This in turn creates the basis for a dynamic economy, with thriving businesses and higher standards of living for most people. Fair taxation isn't the problem; it's part of the solution, alongside smarter public spending. Scotland's slightly fairer system is already raising hundreds of millions more to invest in public services and fund crucial payments to help lift children out of poverty. But there's still work to do. Council Tax is embarrassingly stuck in the 90s and deeply unfair. 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But the same government arms and stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with a regime that has killed over 40,000 civilians and has starved and rendered homeless the survivors. This is a disgraceful perversion of values and priorities, but no more than we have come to expect from the British state. If any more reason for Scotland to free herself from the UK was needed, surely this us it . David Currie, Tarland, Aberdeenshire Principles devalued After a mere year in office, Labour is looking ever less electable, trailing Reform UK in the opinion polls. While Keir Starmer flourishes abroad, his popularity ratings at home are plummeting, even within his own party. The main complaint is that the Cabinet members are not listening to their backbenchers. Rather, they are inclined to suspend them at the slightest provocation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Only last week four MPs, including, Scot Brian Leishman, had the whip withdrawn for nothing more culpable than backing Labour principles. Gone are the days of open and frank discussion and principled agreement to differ on questions like the two-child cap and Welfare Reform, among other things. Nothing reveals more that this Labour government is on the wrong side of history than their shameful treatment of Diane Abbott. Lauded by Keir Starmer as a 'trailblazer' on becoming 'mother of the House', in the next breath, the excellent constituency MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington for 38 years has been suspended for stating the obvious on the question of race. Like Jeremy Corbyn and John O'Donnell before her, she could well stand as an Independent candidate at the next general election, assured of a stonking majority. She deserves no better, for that rare thing, principles. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh Write to The Scotsman

Even the Tories now admit that our electoral system is toxic. When will Labour have the guts to fix it?
Even the Tories now admit that our electoral system is toxic. When will Labour have the guts to fix it?

The Guardian

time26 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Even the Tories now admit that our electoral system is toxic. When will Labour have the guts to fix it?

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But times have changed: Labour could regain trust with a country-not-party stand to prevent the perverse results it benefited from last time. The risks ahead are unprecedented. The psephologist and former YouGov president Peter Kellner has written in a number of excellent blogs that 'the prospect of a democratic disaster is real'. He was no electoral reformer – until now. Changing the voting system to prevent a Farage win could look like dirty politics. But here's what has changed. Kellner's historical analysis shows that British elections have always ended up with the government more people chose, even where results appeared contrary. Labour wasn't loved, but throwing out the Tories was the priority shared among most voters. Should Farage become prime minister, Kellner writes, 'for the first time in living memory, the country is likely to have a government that most people really don't want'. Reform scores first as the party that voters would never support. 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Miliband: I'll stop noise rules blocking heat pumps
Miliband: I'll stop noise rules blocking heat pumps

Telegraph

time26 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Miliband: I'll stop noise rules blocking heat pumps

Ed Miliband has vowed to stop noise rules from blocking heat pumps as he campaigns for the devices to be installed across Britain. The Energy Secretary has promised to investigate how regulations are enforced and to relax the rules if needed, saying noise issues 'remains a big barrier' to heat pump installations. Mr Miliband said: 'We're going to look at that, as to whether this is about the rules and the way they are being enforced and the knowledge of the rules. 'Often what I find on some of these planning issues, sometimes it's the rules, sometimes it's the enforcement of the rules and sometimes it's the awareness of the rules – and you've got to work out which it is. 'My overall approach would be to say where there are barriers, let's get rid of them if we possibly can. If the noise thing is a barrier, obviously subject to making sure there isn't a disturbance to people, which I don't think there will be, we should act on that.' Mr Miliband was addressing Bill Esterson, chair of the energy security and net zero committee, who said one in three heat pump installations required planning consent even in cases where the machines were producing noise comparable to a computer. The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), which sets planning standards for the devices, states that the noise from a heat pump cannot exceed 37 decibels (dB) when measured a metre away. 40dB is roughly equivalent to a quiet office or a library. Rollout struggles The Energy Secretary is pushing for Britain to install 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028 as part of his net zero drive. Labour has already scrapped a rule requiring homeowners in England to gain planning consent to install heat pumps at least one metre away from a neighbouring property. The one-metre requirement had originally been introduced because some systems can emit a humming sound of up to 60dB, similar to the level produced by a fridge or dishwasher. Mr Miliband said that removing that rule had already 'made a difference' in terms of more widespread adoption of the technology. In an awkward situation for the Energy Secretary, his own neighbours are protesting against a five-storey residential development over concerns that its six proposed heat pumps will cause noise pollution. Justine Thornton, Mr Miliband's wife, is among those objecting to the development in their Dartmouth Park neighbourhood, calling them 'too tall, too bulky and too dense', although she did not mention anything in relation to the heat pumps. Campaigners warned that any relaxation of existing guidance could worsen noise pollution. Andrew Montford, of campaign group Net Zero Watch, said loosening restrictions around noise would 'undoubtedly lead to conflict between neighbours'. He said: 'When heat pumps are new, they tend to be relatively quiet, but as they age they can become very noisy.' John Stewart, chairman of the UK Noise Association, warned that any further easing of guidelines would 'remove the little protection residents have from heat pump noise'. He added: 'It will particularly impact lower-income people living in flats or terraced houses where inevitably heat pumps will be very close to their homes. 'Miliband would be much better insisting on high-quality heat pumps rather than loosening restrictions on them.' A government spokesman said: 'We have seen incredible innovation in heat pump design over the past decade, with technological advances meaning they have become quieter over time and noise complaints are rare. 'We have announced changes to remove planning constraints to make them easier to install and will review their impact to explore how we can further streamline the planning requirements to support heat pump take-up.'

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