NEW government funding to help councils prevent rough sleepers from being turned back out onto the streets has been announced, but not yet allocated to areas across the country.

The government announced last week that £105 million of funding had been made available to help continue the 'Everyone In' programme, which saw councils take rough sleepers into housing across the UK as lockdown began in March.

During the pandemic, the council spent £600,000 to make 120 rooms available for rough sleepers and helped 52 of them into more long term accommodation.

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It has so far received £32,000 from the government and £300,000 from the county council to help it fund the work.

Of the new funding £85 million is 'new' money, with the other £20 million being made up from re-prioritising existing rough sleeper cash.

Oxford City Council cabinet member for affordable housing and housing the homeless, Mike Rowley, said the council was 'keen to continue' its work to help rough sleepers.'

A spokesman for the ministry of housing, communities and local government said the funding would be allocated as quickly as possible and on the basis of 'where it is most needed'.