Nottinghamshire Councils creating more accommodation for rough sleepers during winter months after funding boost

Four councils in Nottinghamshire, including Mansfield, Ashfield and Bassetlaw, have received almost £300,000 in additional funding from the new Labour Government.

The funding is part of a £10m emergency support package announced by Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, on Wednesday, November 6, when ministers met to discuss plans to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

In Nottingham, rough sleeping and homelessness have been described as an “acute crisis”, and the City Council will benefit from £172,642 in funding to support ongoing projects.

According to the authority, 44 people were found rough sleeping on the city’s streets in October.

A spokesperson for the council said, “The council was notified of the funding this week, and we are in the process of working with partners to examine any new or expanded initiatives the funding can support, including support for access to accommodation.

“A range of services is already delivered in the city to support rough sleepers and new additional accommodation is being introduced this winter.

“However, engagement is still the main issue, with many rough sleepers refusing offers of support.”

Mansfield District Council will receive £70,322, the second-highest funding of all four councils.

The authority says the money will fund a winter accommodation project to support the 10 people found sleeping rough across the district.

“This funding will go towards providing our winter accommodation project for 12 months, which starts in December,” a spokesperson said.

“The project will provide 12-bed spaces with a supported housing provider, where occupants can get support for their needs and help to move on into sustainable accommodation.”

Slightly less than £30,000 will be going to Bassetlaw District Council, and the authority says the funding will also be used to support its winter accommodation provision.

Coun Jonathan Slater (Lab), cabinet member for housing, said: “In addition to the existing work we do with partner agencies to prevent rough sleeping in the District, Bassetlaw District Council will be using this funding to support our SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Provision).

“[This] makes accommodation available so no one has to sleep rough on the streets during winter.

“Our approach is to support people whilst they access the cold weather provision and take the opportunity to make this their first step towards moving away from rough sleeping permanently.

“Our SWEP will launch on December 1 and run until March 31 2025.”

Ashfield District Council will be receiving £27,893.

The council says while it does not have a notable rough sleeping problem, the money will be used to support other councils.

Coun Tom Hollis (Ash Ind), Ashfield District Council Cabinet Member for Strategic Housing said: “Our proactive work with people at risk of homelessness means that compared to other councils, rough sleeping is not a major issue.

“We don’t take this for granted however and this additional money will allow us to continue our groundbreaking work with a few residents, who for reasons like addiction, struggle to engage.

“As one of the lead councils for preventing homelessness at the new East Midlands Combined Authority, this additional funding will allow us to further share our best practices with other councils.

“One homeless person is a homeless person too many and we will use this money to continue to share our best practices for the benefit of councils throughout the region.”