Luton MP welcomes drive to offer everyone a route off the streets for Christmas

One month after making his first instruction as Prime Minister to end rough sleeping, Andy Burnham has announced the next steps in his plan - offering everyone who needs it a route off the streets by Christmas. 

Backed by increased multi-year funding of £442 million, including £3.3 million for Luton and £1.1 million for Central Bedfordshire, new accommodation and support will be rolled out across England this winter.  

Alongside emergency accommodation to end the need for rough sleeping, the programme, fully funded within the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government budget, will offer practical help with housing, health and other needs, helping people build a more stable future.  

Rachel Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, has welcomed the announcement she says will help to build on Luton Council's existing work, in partnership with local organisations including Mary Seacole Housing Association, NOAH, and Signposts, to intervene early, offer practical support, and prevent rough sleeping.

This helped 928 people to avoid homelessness from April 2025-February 2026, the highest number ever recorded in Luton, and led to rough sleeping numbers falling by 56% on a typical night compared with 2024 – the second-largest reduction nationally. 

Rachel Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, said:  “I was incredibly glad to see the Prime Minister make ending rough sleeping one of his first priorities in office, and now I'm even more glad to see this set in motion with his announcement today. 

"Across Luton South and South Bedfordshire, we see the negative impacts of rough sleeping in our communities every day. I've been proud to see the work Luton's Labour Council has already done on this issue, transforming the lives of so many residents by intervening early and offering wraparound support.  

"This new funding and drive to empower local authorities will allow them to go even further, increasing immediate action this winter and laying the foundations for further long-term change." 

Cllr Alia Khan, cabinet member for housing at Luton Council, said:  “Luton continues to feel the impact of the national housing crisis, with increasing pressure on local homelessness services and support organisations. I believe everyone deserves a safe, secure place to call home. 

“As Cabinet Member for Housing, I’m not prepared to accept rough sleeping as something Luton just lives with. This funding is exactly the serious, sustained investment we’ve been calling for, and it will have a profound impact on some of our most vulnerable residents. 

“Housing is the foundation everything else in life is built on. This gives us the chance to get more people off the streets and into a stable home before winter bites - and for some, that could be the difference between life and death.”