AN East Lancashire local authority has been given £134,800 by the government to help homeless families in the borough.

Burnley Council will use the grant to deliver a further two homes to support those without a roof over their head.

It will bring the total number of council-owned properties available for good quality temporary accommodation across the borough to 22.

This, in turn, will further reduce the need for the council to use bed and breakfast accommodation which is often not suitable for families and which cannot be used to house people for more than six weeks.

The news follows government figures released earlier this month which show that six people were estimated to be sleeping rough in Blackburn with Darwen based on a single night snapshot last autumn, down from 10 the year before.

Seven people were estimated to be sleeping rough in Burnley, up from four the year before.

In Hyndburn, eight people were estimated to be sleeping rough, up from three in 2022. Five people were thought to be sleeping rough in Pendle, up from zero in 2022.

One person was believed to be sleeping on the streets in the Ribble Valley compared to none the year before.

In Rossendale, it was estimated that there were no rough sleepers in 2023, down from two in 2022.

A report to Burnley Council’s executive, which meets on April 4, recommends that the council accept the £134.800 and use it to acquire two empty properties.

Paul Gatrell, the council’s head of housing and development control, said: “The council recognises the need to provide good standard and well managed accommodation for homeless families on a short-term basis until they can find a more permanent solution.

“This will also help us keep control over the management of the accommodation and provide a more cost-effective option to the council for the provision of temporary accommodation.”

Six out of the total number of temporary accommodation properties available, where people can stay up to two years, were acquired and fully renovated under the council’s rough sleeping accommodation programme.

Residents are supported by various services to help them move into sustainable longer-term homes.