London mayor elections: Sadiq Khan pledges to end rough sleeping

Sadiq Khan has pledged to wipe out rough sleeping in the capital by 2030 if he is re-elected as London mayor.

In a speech on Monday, the Labour incumbent will promise to end the "indignity, fear and isolation" felt by those enduring a life on the street.

A record number of people are rough sleeping in London, data shows.

Tory candidate Susan Hall branded it "another promise that Sadiq Khan will fail to deliver". The Lib Dems blasted "shameful" levels of homelessness.

Some £10m, which Mr Khan says would be City Hall's biggest single intervention to tackle rough sleeping on record, would fund an expanded network of "ending homelessness hubs" under the plans.

The hubs are designed to help an extra 1,700 rough sleepers every year with rapid reassessment and rehousing.

In his speech, Mr Khan will say it is time "to reject the notion that homelessness is some natural, stubborn feature of modern life that we have no option but to abide".

He will describe this election as an opportunity to "condemn the scandal of rough sleeping to history, not just for a short time but for all time".

Susan Hall said: "Sadiq Khan has only started building 4% of the affordable homes he promised in the latest programme and it is his failure that has kept people stuck in temporary accommodation and made it harder to get rough sleepers off the streets.

"We cannot solve homelessness without solving the housing crisis, which is why I have pledged to build more family homes Londoners can afford."

Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Rob Blackie added: "The mayor has missed his own housing targets almost every year since he has been elected.

"I will build much more by making it easier to build, and launching a London Development Company to accelerate housebuilding."

The Green Party has been approached for comment.

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