Councils that traditionally report large numbers of rough sleepers recorded fewer people sleeping rough last autumn, Government figures have revealed.
While the total number of rough sleepers in England rose to a record 4,793, there were reductions in parts of London, as well as cities such as Brighton and Bristol.
The headline figure, based on a snapshot, was up 3% on the 4,667 rough sleepers reported in autumn 2024. Half of councils recorded an increase, with 40% reporting a fall and the remainder no change.
Local authorities reporting fewer rough sleepers than in 2024 included Westminster City Council, where the snapshot figure was down from 388 to 360. For Greenwich LBC, the total fell by almost half, from 35 to 18.
This helped lead to the number of rough sleepers in London falling by 41 to 1,277, although the capital still accounts for about a quarter of all rough sleepers in England.
For Brighton & Hove City Council, the number of rough sleepers fell by 19 to 57. Sheffield City Council reported a drop from 52 to 38, Bristol City Council was down from 77 to 70, Luton BC was down from 36 to 16 and Slough BC was down from 36 to 18.
Jack Shaw, a trustee at Justlife, a homelessness charity in Brighton, said councils were making more effort to cut rough sleeping along with voluntary sector groups, adding: ‘There is much more in the way of joined up services for homeless people.'
Separate figures, also published last week by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), showed that 134,760 households were living in temporary accommodation in September, up 7% on the previous year.
MHCLG has announced £50m in extra funding for local authorities and charities.
Chief executive of charity Homeless Link, Rick Henderson, said: ‘It is vital that councils use their new funding to secure the provision of the homelessness support services that offer a lifeline to people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.'
