Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Hanham (Conservative) on Monday, 27 September 2010.

Homelessness: Rough Sleepers

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many beds are available for rough sleepers within a mile of the Palace of Westminster.

Answer: Westminster Council, together with its local partners, including the voluntary sector and the police, is responsible for tackling rough sleeping in the borough. CLG has provided £6.6 million homelessness grant in 2010-11 to Westminster Council to help it prevent homelessness with majority being spent on rough sleeping services. The department does not keep information on either the number of rough sleepers or hostel bed availability within a mile of the Palace of Westminster. The 2010 rough sleeper count for Westminster showed 147 people sleeping rough on a single night. There is also extensive hostel provision for rough sleepers across the borough. The Minister for Housing announced on 23 July a review of how rough sleepers are counted and for a more comprehensive method of assessing the scale of the problem. Charities and councils are being asked for their views on proposed improvements in a consultation taking place over the summer and final guidance will be published in September.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 1872; 720 c490WA
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Homelessness: City of Westminster
Monday, 27 September 2010
Written questions
House of Lords
Notes: Answer received between Monday 9 August and Monday 16 August 2010.
Subjects: City of Westminster Hostels Sleeping rough
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk