THE Government will fail in its target to end rough sleeping by next year.

That is according to a report by the Kerslake Commission, an independent group of 36 experts, published earlier this week.

Reflecting on the report, Weaver Vale MP and shadow homelessness minister Mike Amesbury said a “toxic mix” had lead to this result.

“This report provides a sobering assessment of rising homelessness driven by a chronic shortage of decent, secure and affordable housing after 13 years of Tory failure,” said Mr Amesbury.

“A toxic mix of rising rents, the cost-of-living crisis and a failure to end no-fault evictions are hitting vulnerable people.”

In September 2022, the Government published its Ending Rough Sleeping For Good strategy, which re-stated its 2019 manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.

With a general election expected to be called at some point next year, this means the pledge would have to be met by then.

However, the Kerslake Commission say that the Government is unlikely to meet that aim after figures published earlier this year revealed that the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough in England had risen for the first time since 2017.

A snapshot of a single night in autumn last year found 3,069 people sleeping rough, up 626 (26%) on the equivalent total for 2021 and nearly three-quarters (74%) above the level in 2010 when the figures began.

The report published on Monday read: “During the pandemic, significant progress was made on rough sleeping and the Kerslake Commission was convened to learn the lessons from the emergency response and drive changes that would help end it by 2024.

“It is unfortunately the conclusion of the Kerslake Commission that this goal will not be met by the deadline.”

Among its recommendations, the report said a lack of capacity within the system must be prioritised – blaming a severe shortage of social rented housing and supported housing for much of the current situation.

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities said the Government is “focused on ending rough sleeping for good”, spending £2 billion “to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the areas that need it most”.

They said “significant progress” had been made “with over 640,000 households prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation since 2018”.