Hull City Council is set to receive almost £700,000
Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks as he hosts a “Rough Sleeping Summit” in Downing Street in central London on October 26, 2026, to push for further action to support people to get off the streets for good.(Image: Photo by CARLOS JASSO / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Hull City Council is set to receive almost £700,000 as part of a national drive to get rough sleepers off the street. The funding award is part of a major push announced by Andy Burnham.
The Prime Minister hosted a landmark rough sleeping summit at Downing Street this week, bringing together local council leaders, charities, and leading business figures to coordinate an urgent nationwide response ahead of the winter months. As part of the initiative, the government is doubling its funding commitment to nearly £900million through to the end of the current parliament.
An additional £432million of funding to be spent nationwide will be formally unveiled in Wednesday’s Budget. The ambitious scheme to tackle the crisis of people sleeping rough has been welcomed by local councillors around Hull.
According to the latest official Joint Stratetic Needs Assessment from Hull City Council it is estimated that there were 36 rough sleepers in Hull during Autumn 2025. This was a big jump on pre-pandemic levels, with the study noting there were 18 rough sleepers in 2019. Almost all were men, the needs assessment states.
Cllr Shane McMurray (Labour – Central ward) said the funding and support was urgently needed in Hull. “We know there’s a persistent issue in Hull with people sleeping rough in the communal areas of council flats, and we’ve also seen a recent increase in the number of people doing the same in multi-storey car parks,” he said. “Both of these can result in anti-social behaviour that has a wider impact on residents.”
Cllr McMurray, who is Hull Labour’s communities spokesperson, said he was hopeful the initiative would have a lasting impact: “We really welcome this enhanced funding from the Labour government to tackle homelessness in Hull. It reflects Andy Burnham’s genuine commitment to make sure no one is sleeping on the streets this winter.
“I hope that during this period of stability, people can also receive ongoing support to help improve their future prospects,” he added. The focus on rough sleeping comes as temperatures begin to drop across East Yorkshire, putting further pressure on emergency shelters and outreach workers.
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More than just a roof over people’s heads
Cllr Karen Wood (Labour – Avenue) stressed any action should steer clear of short-term options. “In particular, Labour wants to see this funding used to build up bespoke accommodation provision for those experiencing homelessness,” she said.
Cllr Wood, who is the chair of Hull City Council ’s Housing Overview & Scrutiny Commission, added: “While we always want to see people given a roof over their head as quickly as possible, we know that short-notice supported accommodation is often inadequate, and can be a way for private companies to make an easy profit off people’s vulnerability.” Street homelessness should never be treated as an inevitable feature of British society, Prime Minister Burnham told journalists this week.
“Rough sleeping isn’t a fact of life,” he said. “It’s a thing governments either choose to accept or don’t. Well, I don’t accept it. That’s why we’re doubling funding so that people aren’t just offered a safe route off the streets this winter but have that same support right through the rest of this Parliament too.”
The news will be warmly welcomed around the country, said Emma Hardy, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice. She took to Facebook to celebrate the government’s announcement and said: “I think one thing we can all agree is that every person in our country deserves somewhere safe to sleep. That’s why I really welcome our Prime Minister’s commitment of an extra £432m to help end rough sleeping.”
A Hull City Council spokesperson confirmed the authority would receive £693,301 to tackle rough sleeping in Hull. It is believed the fund will support local frontline interventions, help provide emergency cold-weather shelter, and will deliver further wraparound support to help vulnerable individuals rebuild their lives away from the street.
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