We’ve already shown here that Scots taxpayers will end up funding steel nationalisation in England, illegal dump clear-ups and HS2 stopping well before the border, with no benefits and no Barnett compensation likely.

Today, prompted by Kath Barr, we’re looking at whether Andy Burnham’s latest mission to end rough-sleeping by Christmas in England will cost us too.

The official line is that it won’t because it will be funded from uncommitted budgets within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), with allocations based on English rough sleeping pressures.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-pm-says-government-can-bring-back-hope-to-britain-and-launches-drive-to-end-rough-sleeping-at-the-earliest-opportunity

Uncommitted budgets are a real thing but what is the historical evidence that they have been sufficient to meet the new commitments being loudly proclaimed by incoming politicians?

Historically, have comparable initiatives been funded as planned and not required additional funds from the treasury?

You’ve guessed…it’s a no.

The Everyone In COVID-19 response of 2020 did not even come close with the spend pushing £300m, taken from other sources including £105m from the Treasury. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/105-million-to-keep-rough-sleepers-safe-and-off-the-streets-during-coronavirus-pandemic

The Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI), launched in 2018, spiralled from an allocated £30m to £500m from the Treasury by 2025. http://cdn-homelesslink-production.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/media/documents/Delivering_a_homelessness_funding_system_that_works_for_all__.pdf

National Audit Office and other reports have repeatedly highlighted that local authority spending on homelessness has risen sharply and often outstripped central grant funding. UK Governments have responded with additional grants, top-ups to the Homelessness Prevention Grant / Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, exceptional financial support for councils, and new programmes, in England. Claims of funding “from within existing budgets” or departmental headroom are common at the announcement stage, but rising demand has routinely triggered further Treasury or departmental money later. https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/effectiveness-of-government-in-tackling-homelessness-summary.pdf