Greater Manchester sees 37% drop in number of rough sleepers

The number of rough sleepers in Greater Manchester has fallen by more than a third in 2019, the region's mayor has revealed.

Andy Burnham said the number had dropped by 90 to 151 in the last year.

Across the region's 10 boroughs, six saw a reduction in numbers, with Stockport, Rochdale, Oldham and Bury registering small increases.

Mr Burnham said the area was making "real progress, [but] as far as I am concerned, this is 151 too many".

He said his A Bed Every Night scheme, launched in November 2018 to support the region's rough sleepers, was having an impact, as were the Housing First pilot and the government's Rough Sleeper Initiative, but there was still "much work to be done".

"It is real progress, but we are in no way complacent as there are still 151 people on the streets in Manchester [and] as far as I am concerned, this is 151 too many," he said.

The mayor's rough sleeper count took place in November.

The largest drop was in Manchester, which saw 32 fewer rough sleepers in 2019, while in Trafford, only one rough sleeper was counted.

Manchester City Council's deputy leader Sue Murphy said while it was "positive to see a decline in the number of people sleeping rough, we must continue to affect real change in our city".