The Liberal Democrats have set out a raft of plans to end rough sleeping if they won the General Election..

The party plans to introduce a ‘somewhere safe to stay’ duty on local authorities to provide emergency accommodation, increase housing allowance payments and abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions.

In addition, it has vowed to scrap the vagrancy act, provide accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse and extend the ‘move on’ period for refugees from 28 days to 56.

Liberal Democrat shadow housing secretary, Tim Farron, said: ‘Nobody should have to spend a night sleeping on the streets. It is the most shameful example of the failure of this Conservative Government to provide a safety net for those who need it.

‘The Conservatives are sitting on their hands, failing to protect the most vulnerable people in society. They haven’t built enough social housing, their benefit cuts have made poverty worse, and they blocked Liberal Democrat efforts to repeal the cruel, Dickensian law that criminalises people just for sleeping rough.
 
‘The plan we’re setting out today will build a brighter future by ending rough sleeping within five years. We will make sure that everyone has a decent home so they can live with dignity.’