Rugby and Bulkington MP Mark Pawsey has welcomed additional measures by the Government to tackle homelessness following the passing of the Homelessness Reduction Act earlier this year.
The Act, which was the result of Conservative MP Bob Blackman’s Private Members Bill, will introduce a new duty on councils to support those who are homeless. The legislation will mean that local councils such as Rugby Borough Council will be required to help those threatened with homelessness within 56 days, or help those who are already homeless keep or find a home.
To help support this, the Minister for Local Government, Marcus Jones MP, has this week announced an additional £11.7 million of funding for local councils, taking the total funding for the new burdens provisions in the act to £72.7 million. According to figures provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government, Rugby will receive £56,341 over the next three years to help reduce homelessness.
Speaking following the Government’s announcement, Mark said:
“Helping those who find themselves homeless must be one of the key priorities of any local authority. I work closely with Rugby Borough Council to help any local resident who finds themselves without a place to stay and I know that our local council do all they can in these cases. Rugby also has a number of great charities, such as Hope4 and the Benn Partnership Centre, who do amazing work to support people in a time of need.”
Mark continued:
“I’m very pleased that following the passage of the Homelessness Reduction Act, the Government is delivering on its promise to providing additional funding for local authorities to help ensure that those who find themselves without a home get the support they need. This comes on top of the £950 million the Government has pledged to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, which we are aiming to halve over the course of this Parliament.”
Mark concluded:
“Of course, we must also deliver the homes our country needs in order to reduce homelessness. That is why I welcome the announcement by the Prime Minister, Theresa May, at our conference £2 billion to build a new generation of affordable homes for social rent, to give everyone who needs it a roof over their head.”