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Rising homelessness is a national scandal
The Tories’ cuts are leading to support for the homeless being axed at the same time as rough sleeping increases, writes KEN LIVINGSTONE

IT WAS revealed this week that the number of shelter beds for homeless people has dropped by almost a fifth under the Tories, with budget cuts meaning that England now has enough beds for less than half of those who need them.

With around 77,000 single people estimated to be homeless on any given night, it means that there are now only enough beds for less than half the homeless.

In a situation where homelessness and rough sleeping has increased by 169 per cent since the Tories came to power with their austerity agenda in 2010, for the government to oversee a situation where the number of beds in homeless shelters is plummeting at the same time as homelessness soars is nothing short of a national scandal.

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