A pledge by the government to eradicate rough sleeping in the UK by 2027 has been welcomed in Preston.

The Housing Secretary James Brokenshire outlined how £100million was going to be invested to tackle homelessness.

Preston City Council is responsible for providing rough sleeping provision in the city, with more than 17 registered rough sleepers in Preston – more than anywhere else in Lancashire.

Cabinet member for communities and social inclusion councillor Nweeda Khan said: “Preston City Council welcomes the commitment and acknowledgment from the government that rough sleeping is increasing and needs to be prioritised.

“Although good quality accommodation is key support, it is vital to also provide a range of support services to address the many complex issues i.e. mental health, PTSD, childhood trauma and substances misuse.

“Working together with local partners, including the Foxton Centre, we hope to build a stable pathway for any person in need.”

Read more: Rough sleepers in Preston could get more help if funding bid approved

The Foxton Centre is the main provider of support to the homeless in the city.

Chief executive of the charity Jeff Marsh said: “On a positive note it is welcome that this issu is given some attention as rough sleeping has increased for the last seven years up 169 per cent since 2010. The recognition of the often complex nature of the problem is welcome also.

“Rough sleeping is deadly the average life expectancy for rough sleepers is 47 by one count even worse for women at 43 so to me having a target to eliminate rough sleeping by 2027 isn’t very ambitious and will mean ,many people dying much too early

“Many services vital to rough sleepers have faced cuts for example mental health beds we had a case of a homeless service user spending over 50 hours in a police station as no mental health bed could be found.”

Read more: How the Foxton Centre is helping Preston put Housing First

The city council and the Foxton Centre are awaiting the outcome of a bid for more than £400,000, from the government, to help tackle rough sleeping in the city before the winter of 2018.