Stoke-on-Trent's council leader says a new homelessness strategy will 'change the climate' in town centres by reducing the number of rough sleepers.

Jane Ashworth says the city council has not been good enough at dealing with street homelessness, which has seen a sharp rise in Stoke-on-Trent in recent years.

Last autumn's 'snapshot' showed that there were an estimated 35 rough sleepers in Stoke-on-Trent, up from 25 in the previous year and the highest figure recorded in the city.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has now adopted a new homelessness and rough sleeping strategy, which prioritises prevention, support and 'innovative intervention' to ensure people have 'prompt access to appropriate accommodation'.

Cabinet members have also agreed to procure new homeless prevention and rough sleeping services, with the current contracts set to end next year.

Cllr Ashworth believes that responding to rough sleeping more effectively will be better for homeless people and the wider community.

She said: "There are too many people sleeping rough. We're good at helping people avoid becoming homeless, but we're not particularly good at dealing with people who are rough sleeping.

"I know our figures are better than many other cities, but that's not the point, it's not good enough for us. I'm looking forward to these two reports resulting in a reduction in the number of people sleeping rough, not only for their sake but the sake of the community around them, who often find that rough sleepers are intoxicated and their behaviour erratic and frightening.

"So I think it's important that we change the climate in our town centres by having a more effective approach to rough sleeping and homelessness."

The city council says that since 2020 it has been one of the best performing local authorities in the country for tackling and preventing homelessness.

Measures have included the launch of a homelessness hub that supports over 900 people each month, and the creation of 74 bed spaces for rough sleepers.

The new services will run for up to five years, and will include off-street accommodation for rough sleepers, support for people with complex needs and 'meaingful daytime activities' such as training.

These services are expected to cost around £5 million a year, with funding set to come from government grants and the council itself.

The council plans to use the new strategy to inform the design of the homelessness and rough sleeping services.

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, said: "Everybody deserves to have a safe and secure place to call home, yet we still see a significant number of our residents finding themselves without a home or living in insecure accommodation.

"Homelessness is a complex issue it reaches far beyond a simple lack of housing. We have an excellent track record of tackling and preventing homelessness but this new strategy does not shy away from the challenges we are facing as a city.

"We will continue to work with our trusted partners to ensure fewer people are sleeping rough on our streets. Together, it is our responsibility to support our most vulnerable residents and drive down homelessness in the city."

Cllr Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance and anti-poverty, added: "I think most of us, as councillors, have experienced encampments in our areas which are difficult – people don't know how to deal with them.

"So I think it's really good that we're seeing in this strategy services to help people get out of that, but also to help people retain their homes and turn their lives around.

"I was away last week, and the town I was in had the exact same problems that we do – it's in a much more affluent part of the country, but they still had rough sleepers in the town centre and people in tents, just yards away from where people were having a very expensive meal outside a pub. We have these problems across the country."