Nick Ferrari left a government minister facing some uncomfortable questions on LBC when he started doing the maths.
The Labour Government has announced more than £850 million in funding to tackle rough sleeping, with the ambition of getting people off the streets by Christmas.
With around 4,000 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a given night, Ferrari put the cost at roughly £190,000 per person.
“What on earth? We could buy them all houses!”
And he’s got a point. At that level of spending, the public are entitled to some serious answers.
But here’s where the figures get even more interesting.
Ferrari also challenged whether the Prime Minister could deliver the promise nationally when the record in Greater Manchester raises questions of its own.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the number of people sleeping rough in Greater Manchester rose from 402 in June 2025 to 444 in June 2026.
That’s an increase, not a reduction.
Cabinet Office Minister Sally Jameson defended the Greater Manchester approach, claiming it had made “huge progress”.
Her explanation for the rising numbers?
“Because he as mayor was offering that support in that city, more people went to that city in order to access support.”
In other words, the Government’s argument is that people travelled to Manchester because the support was better there.
That may account for some of the increase, but where’s the evidence showing how many arrived for that reason? And more importantly, after years of spending, why are hundreds still sleeping rough?
Greater Manchester’s programme has reportedly involved £33 million in spending since 2018, yet the latest figure stands at 444 people sleeping rough.
Now the Government wants to roll out its approach nationally.
Of course, ministers insist this funding is spread over several years and covers far more than emergency beds. It includes mental health care, addiction treatment, tenancy support and help for thousands of people beyond those counted on a single night.
Fair enough. Homelessness is complicated, and some people need sustained support to rebuild their lives.
But that makes the next question even more important.
WHERE IS THE MONEY ACTUALLY GOING?
How much is spent putting roofs over people’s heads? How much goes into administration, consultancy fees, executive salaries, management structures and contracts handed to charities, NGOs and private providers?
Which organisations are receiving the money? Who decides which contracts they get? How much do their chief executives earn? And what measurable results are taxpayers getting in return?
Will some well-connected NGO be receiving a particularly generous Christmas present this year, while the people the funding is meant to help are still sleeping in shop doorways?
That’s a question worth asking, not an allegation of wrongdoing.
Because we’ve reached a peculiar point in Britain where tackling poverty and homelessness has become an enormous publicly funded operation, yet the underlying problems remain.
The working class is being priced out of housing. Council homes are in desperately short supply. Private rents consume wages, and temporary accommodation costs councils a fortune.
And every year, more public money is announced to manage the consequences.
We need permanent, affordable homes, proper council housing and accountable services that can demonstrate results.
The public deserves to know exactly who receives these enormous sums, what they spend them on and how many people are permanently housed as a result.
Watch Nick Ferrari’s reaction. Then ask the question ministers should be answering:
WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING, AND WHO IS BENEFITING FROM IT?
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