THOUSANDS of pounds have been pledged to help continue tackling rough sleeping in Bolton.

The town will received more than £124,000, meaning vital services will be able to continue into 2021.

The money will fund street-based outreach teams, accommodation, specialist health care and affordable long-term housing.

The sum is a share of a £9.9m pot from the government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative, now in its third year.

The millions will be split between councils across the North West, with the goal of ending rough sleeping within the next five years.

Bolton Council has welcomed the news that staff will be able to continue the progress already being made.

Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Services Delivery, Cllr Adele Warren, said: “Challenging and complex factors lie behind rough sleeping and this money will allow us to continue some of the crucial support we offer.”

The councillor says the money will be used locally to fund a full time nursing assistant, among other services.

She continued: “The work of a full time nursing assistant, outreach workers and development of access to private rented accommodation will be extended until March 2021, providing support to even more people to move off the street and towards more positive lives.

“In Bolton, we are working closely with our partners to make a real difference, and we will continue to work with them to bring the numbers of rough sleepers down.”

Bolton has already seen success in bring down the number of rough sleepers in the borough. The figure has almost halved since 2018, dropping from 21 to 11, according to figures released in December by the Greater Manchester rough sleeping scheme, A Bed Every Night. But the transient nature of rough sleeping means that such figures, gathered on one night, only give a snapshot into rough sleeping at any given time in Bolton.

The funding comes after the city’s mayor and leader of A Bed Every Night called for more funding for Bolton’s efforts to end rough sleeping.

After the promising figures were released, Mr Burnham said: “It has to be boroughs across the country that are offering somewhere for people to go every night of the week. There are organisations in Bolton that are fantastic and are doing a great job — they just need funding.”