Nearly a FIFTH of rough sleepers in England are from the European Union – shocking new figures show
The total number of people sleeping rough on the country's streets leapt 15 per cent to 4,134 last year
NEARLY a FIFTH of rough sleepers in England are from the EU – shock figures branded a “national scandal” have revealed.
New statistics showed the total number of people sleeping rough on the country's streets leapt 15 per cent to 4,134 last year.
Some 714 of these were EU nationals in towns as far apart as Canterbury, Bedford and Coventry.
Separate figures revealed that in London a staggering 37 per cent of rough sleepers are from eastern European countries such as Romania, Poland or Lithuania.
This compares with 31 per cent just three years ago.
Experts said the tragic figures were yet another illustration of the sky-high immigration in recent years.
But they added the Europeans were just as much a “victim” as those Brits forced onto the streets by the housing crisis.
Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey said spiralling homelessness in the country was a “national scandal”.
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He said that rough sleeping had more than doubled since the Tories came to power in 2010 – blaming cuts to housing benefits and investment on affordable homes.
Lib Dem chief Tim Farron said the figures were an “utter disgrace”.
He blasted: “Soaring homelessness is an utter disgrace in twenty first century Britain.
“Britain is one of the richest places on earth."
Rough-Sleeping in the UK
He added: “It’s a symptom of the housing crisis that the Government is not doing enough to tackle.”
The Government insisted it was “determined” to help the vulnerable and was investing £550 million to 2020 to tackle homelessness.
A spokesman for the Department for Communities said: “We are now funding projects in 225 local authorities to help those people at risk of becoming homeless, already sleeping rough or those with complex needs, to get back on their feet.”