Stoke-on-Trent City Council is reviewing rough sleeping support in the city and hopes to build on the pilot for a night shelter coming to an end this month.

The review, which comes as part of the Government's new national drive to get everyone in for Christmas, will consider a range of options for future provision, including alternative locations and different models of accommodation and support.

By looking at how services can be provided in "appropriate locations", the council hopes to ensure provision is well distributed across the city as well as suitable for service users and local communities.

The city council says the review will "build on the success" of a recent pilot for a night shelter in Burslem, which is set to come to an end this month.

Over the six-month period, the shelter has supported 96 people, but the council says that aspects of the shelter are not believed to be the "best approach" for long term provision.

A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: "While the pilot demonstrated the value of providing a safe place for people sleeping rough to engage with support services, the dormitory-style model and requirement for people to leave during the day are not considered the best approach for longer-term provision.

"The council is now looking at alternative models that can provide more appropriate accommodation and enable better ongoing engagement with people sleeping rough, while also considering the impact on local communities and businesses."

To develop the future approach, the council is set to work alongside Swan Bank Church and Adullam, who ran the Burslem night shelter, as well as its own Rough Sleeper Team and partners including VAST.

The Rough Sleeper Team will continue to work directly with people sleeping rough, offering support and helping them access accommodation and other services.

The council also says discussions will continue with Swan Bank Church about how the existing night shelter could potentially be used for emergency provision during periods of extreme weather.

Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "We welcome last week's Government announcement of the new national drive to get everyone in for Christmas and in particular the funding to help people leave the streets behind, move into secure homes and get the support they need to rebuild their lives.

"The Burslem night shelter has shown what we can do by simply providing a bed and a safe space to engage with support agencies and we will take the learning from that project into new schemes we will develop to meet the Government's target of getting everyone off the streets of Stoke-on-Trent.

"But we know that for people who have experienced entrenched rough sleeping, a bed alone isn't always enough. We need to provide the right support alongside accommodation to help people make a lasting move away from the streets.

"We are looking carefully at different locations and models that could provide the right type of support, while also considering the needs of local communities and businesses.

"I have heard from local residents of the Kiln Gate area and understand the concerns they have about increased ASB in a residential area. Our teams are working hard to find alternative solutions.

"In the meantime, our Rough Sleeper Team will continue to engage with people sleeping rough and provide support to help them move away from life on the streets."

People concerned about someone sleeping rough can report it through StreetLink at https://thestreetlink.org.uk/. Concerns about rough sleeping can also be reported to the council on 0800 970 2304.