COUNCIL chiefs say rough sleeping in the borough has rocketed due to migrants and asylum seekers being left ‘destitute’ after having their cases rejected.

An update of the council’s homelessness strategy says the borough has a 1,400 per cent increase in rough sleeping since 2018/19.

The current number of recorded rough sleepers is 140 in 2022/23 from just seven in 2018/19.

Town hall officials said based on projections they were expecting an increase in migrant and asylum dispersal numbers in the borough by the Home Office and Serco from 435 to 970 in the next six to 12 months.

Housing boss Cllr Claire Cummins' report said there had been ‘increasing evidence of a housing crisis during 2023’.

She added: “A key issue is the increasing migration pressures to support asylum seekers and refugees in the borough due to existing and changing policy by the Government and the Home Office and an increasing shift in duty towards local authorities for this cohort.

“We are seeing significantly more asylum seekers accessing homeless services. There have also been significant increases in rough sleepers from migration, some with no recourse to public funds because the Home Office do not manage their negative decision cases and evict into communities with no access to support or funding.

“Many disappear into the ‘black economy’ but others are picked up by local authorities when destitute with no accommodation or support with no access to public funding.

“The continuing Ukrainian war is also now impacting on services more due to the host arrangements with residents ending and becoming unsustainable via the Government’s Homes for Ukrainian scheme.

“It is projected that if the conflict continues we will be greater numbers of host arrangements ending in 2024.”

The council has also seen increases of unplanned referrals due to the closure of the Afghan bridging hotels by the Home Office, with increasing referrals to Bury from southern local authorities. Data shows an extra 60 asylum seekers from that pathway.

The report added: “From November 2022 to November 2023 we have had an additional 55 rough sleepers via the migration pathways.

“We have had 38 asylum seekers via Serco placed in our ‘A Bed Every Night’ (ABEN) with a further 12 placed into our supported housing provision and one into our rough sleeper accommodation programme.

“As of November there were 18 ABEN placements associated with migration out of a total 25 bed spaces, taking 72 per cent of capacity.

“This is a significant increase from the past 12 months.

“From August 2023 to August 2024 it has been projected there will be 200 customers through migration that will trigger priority need.

“In terms of cost, if our existing temporary accommodation remains at capacity and we have to place into hotels, the projected cost to accommodate would be significant.”

The report also said it is a Government and Bury target is to end rough sleeping by 2025 but it was not likely this would be achieved unless there is a change in policy and approach by the Government and the Home Office.

The report adds: “Without the circa 70 to 80 per cent of current rough sleepers from migration our target to end rough sleeping and to keep all people off the streets in Bury was on target to be achieved by 2025 with our existing staffing capacity and accommodation resources.”