Official Statistics

Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2020

Published 25 February 2021

Applies to England

1. Main findings

• This year’s rough sleeping snapshot coincided with a national lockdown throughout November and the tier restrictions in October. This is likely to have impacted people’s risk of rough sleeping and should be noted when comparing this year’s annual snapshot figures with previous years.

• Unlike last year, the ongoing ‘Everyone In’ scheme has helped to protect thousands of vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough. By November, the scheme had supported around 33,000 people with nearly 10,000 currently in emergency accommodation and over 23,000 already moved on into longer-term accommodation since the pandemic began.

• The number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn has fallen for the third year in a row from its peak in 2017 but remains higher than 2010 when the snapshot approach was introduced.

• There were 2,688 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020. This is down by 1,578 people or 37 % from last year and down 43 % from the peak in 2017 but is up by 920 people or 52 % since 2010.

• Nearly half (44 %) of all people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn are in London and the South East. The largest decrease in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough was in the South East, where there were 474 people this year compared to 900 people last year.

• The number of people estimated to be sleeping rough in London has decreased for the last two years, and the decrease between 2019 and 2020 is the largest in London since the time series began in 2010. There were 714 people estimated to be sleeping rough in London on a single night in autumn 2020. This is down by 422 people or 37 % from last year. The North East of England was the only region where there was a very small increase in the number of people sleeping rough. All other regions decreased with the South East and London decreasing the most.

• Most people sleeping rough in England are male, aged over 26 years old and from the UK. This is similar to previous years.

Date of next publication: It is expected that the autumn 2021 Rough sleeping snapshot will be published in early 2022. The date will be pre-announced on the GOV.UK publication release calendar.

Figure 1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in England since 2010.

1.1 Introduction

This publication provides information about the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November 2020 and some basic demographic details (i.e. age, gender, nationality). These statistics provide a way of estimating the number of people sleeping rough across England on a single night in autumn and to assess change over time.

However, this year’s rough sleeping snapshot coincided with a national lockdown throughout November and the tier restrictions in October. 262 local authorities (83 %) carried out their snapshot estimate during the national lockdown, 44 (14 %) local authorities carried it out during the tier restrictions and 8 (3 %) local authorities carried it out prior to the tier restrictions. This is likely to have impacted people’s risk of rough sleeping and should be noted when comparing this year’s annual snapshot figures with previous years.

On 23 March 2020 the government launched the ‘Everyone In’ scheme, whereby local authorities were asked to immediately house rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping to protect their health and stop wider transmission of COVID-19. Whilst this ongoing support has helped to protect thousands of vulnerable people during the pandemic it should be noted when comparing this year’s annual snapshot figures with previous years.

As well as the pandemic, there are other factors that can affect the number of people who sleep rough on any given night. For example, the availability of night shelters, the weather, where people choose to sleep and the date and time chosen for the snapshot estimate. The provision of night shelters was reduced this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the government put in place support to develop self-contained accommodation options and published operating principles for night shelters to open more safely if required. Whilst local authorities are asked to provide possible reasons for any significant changes in the numbers of people who sleep rough compared to previous years, the figures in this release are subject to some uncertainty and should be treated as estimates of the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn.

1.2 Definitions

People sleeping rough are defined as follows: People sleeping, about to bed down (sitting on/in or standing next to their bedding) or bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments). People in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or ‘bashes’ which are makeshift shelters, often comprised of cardboard boxes). The definition does not include people in hostels or shelters, people in campsites or other sites used for recreational purposes or organised protest, squatters or travellers.

Bedded down is taken to mean either lying down or sleeping.

About to bed down includes those who are sitting in/on or near a sleeping bag or other bedding.

1.3 Things you need to know

• Local authorities across England take an autumn single night snapshot of people sleeping rough. They either use a count-based estimate of visible rough sleeping, an evidence-based estimate meeting with local agencies or an evidence-based estimate meeting including a spotlight count.

• Local authorities, together with local agencies, decide which approach and date to use for their snapshot of rough sleeping. They are advised to use the approach that will provide the most accurate estimate of the number of people sleeping rough in their local authority.

• The snapshot should take place on a ‘typical night’, on a single date between 1 October and 30 November, chosen by the local authority. The date can change from one year to the next and will not be the same for all local authorities. In some cases, this is coordinated with neighbouring local authorities to avoid double counting of people.

• This year’s snapshot was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown. Local authorities were advised that if they were able to go ahead with their chosen night safely, ensuring no other circumstances would affect the ‘typical’ night, then they should proceed.

• Due to the impact of COVID-19, further verification was introduced for all areas this year to ensure figures provided were accurate. For any areas that changed from a count-based estimate, following the lockdown announcement, Homeless Link verifiers attended the estimate meeting in person, by being present at the online estimate meeting. Homeless Link also contacted partner agencies including an independent partner separately to complete verification.

• The snapshot takes place in the autumn rather than summer, where numbers are likely to be higher due to warmer temperatures or winter, where numbers may be lower as more temporary night shelters are set up to ensure people do not sleep rough on the streets in very cold weather.

• The provision of night shelters was reduced this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government put in place support to develop self-contained accommodation options and published operating principles for night shelters to open more safely if required.

• The snapshot is collated by outreach workers, local charities and community groups and is independently verified by Homeless Link.

• People sleeping rough are defined^{[footnote 1]} as those sleeping or about to bed down in open air locations and other places including tents and make-shift shelters.

• The snapshot does not include people in hostels or shelters, people sofa surfing, or those in recreational or organised protest, those in squats or traveller campsites.

• The snapshot does not provide a definitive number of people affected by homelessness in England. The term ‘homelessness’ is much broader than people sleeping rough.

• The snapshot records only those people seen, or thought to be, sleeping rough on a single night in autumn.

• The snapshot does not include everyone in a local authority with a history of sleeping rough. Nor does it include everyone sleeping rough across local authorities from the October to November period.

• Accurately estimating the number of people sleeping rough within a local authority is inherently difficult given the hidden nature of rough sleeping.

• The snapshot methodology has been in place since 2010. From 1998 to 2010, only a quarter of all local authorities who estimated that there were more than ten people sleeping rough in their local authority were asked to conduct an annual street count.

• Since March 2018, the government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) has funded local authorities to provide specialist services to help the most vulnerable people in society off the streets and into secure accommodation. Over 90 % of local authorities are part of the initiative, which is now in its third year.

• In March 2020, the government launched the ‘Everyone In’ scheme asking local authorities to immediately house people sleeping rough and those at risk of rough sleeping to protect their health and stop wider transmission of COVID-19. This ongoing support has helped to protect thousands of vulnerable people during the pandemic.

• In July 2020, the government launched the Next Steps Accommodation Programme, which provides financial resources to local authorities and their partners to prevent those accommodated during the pandemic from returning to the streets.

• In October 2020, the government announced the Cold Weather Payment for local authorities and faith and community groups to help to keep people sleeping rough safe and into accommodation this winter.

• In November 2020, the government launched the Protect Programme, which runs alongside the ‘Everyone In’ scheme. This programme helps areas that need additional support most during the restrictions and throughout winter.

• These programmes are all part of the government’s ongoing Rough Sleeping Strategy to end rough sleeping by the end of the parliament.

2. Rough sleeping snapshot

2.1 National

The number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in England has fallen for the third year in a row and is the largest decrease since the snapshot started in 2010.

The number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in London has fallen for the second time in seven years.

The number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn has fallen for the third year in a row from its peak in 2017 but remains higher than in 2010 when the snapshot approach was first introduced.

There were 2,688 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 in England. This was a decrease of 1,578 people or 37 % decrease from 2019 and an increase of 920 people or 52 % increase since 2010.

For the second time in seven years there has been a decrease in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in London and the largest decrease since 2010. There has also been a decrease in the Rest of England for a third year running.

In London, there were 714 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020. This is a decrease of 422 people or a 37 % decrease from 2019 and an increase of 299 people or a 72 % increase since 2010.

Across the Rest of England, there were 1,974 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020. This is down by 1,156 people or a 37 % decrease from last year and down by 1,640 people or 45 % from its peak in 2017. However, this is an increase of 621 people or a 46 % increase since 2010.

Table 2.1.1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in England, London and Rest of England since 2010.

Year	England	% change on previous year (England)	London	% change on previous year (London)	Rest of England	% change on previous year (Rest of England)
2010	1,768	-	415	-	1,353	-
2011	2,181	23	446	7	1,735	28
2012	2,309	6	557	25	1,752	1
2013	2,414	5	543	-3	1,871	7
2014	2,744	14	742	37	2,002	7
2015	3,569	30	940	27	2,629	31
2016	4,134	16	964	3	3,170	21
2017	4,751	15	1,137	18	3,614	14
2018	4,677	-2	1,283	13	3,394	-6
2019	4,266	-9	1,136	-11	3,130	-8
2020	2,688	-37	714	-37	1,974	-37

Figure 2.1.1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in London and the Rest of England since 2010.

2.2 Regional

Nearly half (44 %) of all people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn are in London and the South East.

The North East was the only region where there was a very small increase in the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn. All other regions decreased with the South East and London decreasing the most.

The largest decrease in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 was in the South East, where there were 474 people this year compared to 900 people last year.

The North East was the only region to show a small increase in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough, where there were 72 people estimated to be sleeping rough this year compared to 67 people last year.

Table 2.2.1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by region compared to previous year

Area	2019	2020	Difference	% Change
England	4,266	2,688	-1,578	-37
Rest of England	3,130	1,974	-1,156	-37
South East	900	474	-426	-47
London	1,136	714	-422	-37
East of England	458	266	-192	-42
South West	490	354	-136	-28
North West	349	226	-123	-35
East Midlands	305	187	-118	-39
West Midlands	319	214	-105	-33
Yorkshire and The Humber	242	181	-61	-25
North East	67	72	5	7

Figure 2.2.1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by region since 2010.

London and the South East accounted for nearly half (44 %) of all the people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn this year, which is similar to previous years. These two regions also showed the largest decrease in the estimated number of people sleeping rough compared to last year. The North East of England was the region with the lowest number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn this year and was the only region that showed an increase compared to last year.

Figure 2.2.2: Proportion of people sleeping rough on single night in autumn 2020 by region.

2.3 Local authority

Westminster had the highest number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020.

The largest increase in the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn was in Tower Hamlets.

The largest decrease in the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn was in Hillingdon.

The local authority with the highest number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 was Westminster where 242 people were estimated to be sleeping rough. Westminster has consistently been the local authority with the highest number of people sleeping rough since the snapshot approach was introduced in 2010.

The Westminster City Council: Review of Homelessness 2019 suggests that Westminster attracts a disproportionate number of people sleeping rough from across the UK and internationally because of: its central location and access to transport hubs, the perceived safety of the area due to its 24 hour nature, begging opportunities available due to large numbers of people in the area including tourists, a flow of easy accessible drugs, employment opportunities and availability of services for people sleeping rough.

Table 2.3.1: Local authorities with the highest estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 compared to previous year.

Local Authority	2019	2020	Difference	% Change
Westminster	333	242	-91	-27
Manchester	91	68	-23	-25
Bristol, City of	98	50	-48	-49
Camden	65	42	-23	-35
Tower Hamlets	17	40	23	135
Exeter	31	37	6	19
Leeds	40	35	-5	-13
Nottingham	30	31	1	3
Cornwall	24	29	5	21
Portsmouth	26	29	3	12

Figure 2.3.1: Local authorities with the highest estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020.

The largest increase in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough was in Tower Hamlets, where there were 40 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020, compared to 17 last year. According to the local authority, this is thought to be due to a range of reasons related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s employment, relationships and housing situation, with young people and those with no recourse to public funds, most affected.

Generally, the increase in the number of people sleeping rough, according to the local authorities involved, were thought to be largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included people losing their jobs and being unable to pay rent or accommodation tied to jobs, illegal evictions, relationship breakdowns, people who have been sofa surfing being asked to leave and reduced winter shelter provision. According to some local authorities, the increase in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough is thought to be due to increased outreach services and partnership working giving a more accurate view of the number of people sleeping rough in their area compared to last year.

Table 2.3.2: Local authorities with the largest increase in the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 compared to previous year.

Local Authority	2019	2020	Difference	% Change
Tower Hamlets	17	40	23	135
Stoke-on-Trent	16	28	12	75
County Durham	2	11	9	450
Croydon	6	15	9	150
East Devon	4	13	9	225
Redditch	2	11	9	450
Barnsley	2	10	8	400
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk	3	11	8	267
Redbridge	16	24	8	50
Bexley	9	16	7	78

Figure 2.3.2: Local authorities with the largest increase in the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 compared to previous year.

The largest decrease in the number of people sleeping rough was in Hillingdon, where 11 people were estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 compared to 106 people last year. The local authority suggests that the reduction was a result of both ‘Everyone In’ and RSI funding. Furthermore, the local authority suggested the number of people identified as sleeping rough at Heathrow Airport was lower than last year as terminals were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a reduction in the number of people travelling made it easier to identify people who were sleeping rough.

The decrease in the number of people sleeping rough, according to the local authorities involved, was due to the ‘Everyone In’ scheme and other projects funded by the Ministry, including the RSI. ‘Everyone In’ asked all local authorities to immediately house people sleeping rough and those at risk of rough sleeping to protect their health and stop the wider transmission of COVID-19. This ongoing support has helped to protect thousands of vulnerable people during the pandemic. The continued RSI funding has allowed local authorities to expand their outreach services and increase the amount of available accommodation to keep people off the streets.

When comparing the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn across years, and between local authorities, there are a range of factors that should be considered. For example, the impact of COVID-19, the weather, where people choose to sleep, movement across local authority boundaries particularly in London, the date and time chosen for the snapshot and the availability of night shelters.

Table 2.3.3: Local authorities with the largest decrease in the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 compared to previous year.

Local Authority	2019	2020	Difference	% Change
Hillingdon	106	11	-95	-90
Westminster	333	242	-91	-27
Brighton and Hove	88	27	-61	-69
Newham	64	6	-58	-91
Bristol, City of	98	50	-48	-49
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	72	25	-47	-65
Birmingham	52	17	-35	-67
Windsor and Maidenhead	40	8	-32	-80
Buckinghamshire	36	5	-31	-86
Islington	51	20	-31	-61

Figure 2.3.3: Local authorities with the largest decrease in the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 compared to previous year.

3. Demographics

Since 2016, the Rough sleeping snapshot has also included some basic demographic information about those people found sleeping rough, including age, gender and nationality. Consistent demographic data which used the same categories has been available from 2017 onwards^{[footnote 2]}.

Demographic information was collected either by asking the person found sleeping rough or by referring to existing knowledge (if that person was already known). If a person refused to give, or did not want to share, their personal information, they would still be recorded as sleeping rough and demographic information including age, gender and nationality would be recorded as ‘Not known’, if unknown. If it was not possible to record demographic information, due to an individual sleeping for example, then it was recorded as ‘Not known’.

3.1 Age

Most people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were aged over 26 years old.

Most people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 were aged over 26 years old, which was similar to previous years. There was 1 person under the age of 18 found sleeping rough in this year’s snapshot. Under 18s who are homeless should be provided with accommodation by Children’s Services in their local authority.

In 2020, there were 2,349 people (87 % of the total) sleeping rough on a single night in autumn who were aged 26 years or over and 138 people (5 % of the total) who were aged between 18 and 25 years. The age of people sleeping rough was ‘Not known’ for 200 people, or 7 % of the total.

Table 3.1.1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by age since 2017.

Year	Under 18	18 - 25	Over 26	Not Known	Total
2017	3	366	3,846	536	4,751
2018	1	295	3,744	637	4,677
2019	6	201	3,542	517	4,266
2020	1	138	2,349	200	2,688

Figure 3.1.1: Proportion of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by age since 2017.

The age breakdown of people sleeping rough was broadly similar across all regions in England.

Table 3.1.2: Proportion of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by age and region since 2017.

Area	Under 18	18 - 25	Over 26	Not Known
England	0.0	5	87	7
Rest of England	0.1	5	89	6
London	0.0	5	84	10

3.2 Gender

Most people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were male.

Most people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were male. In 2020, there were 2,277 men (85 % of the total) and 377 women (14 % of the total) sleeping rough on a single night in autumn. Gender was ‘Not known’ for 34 people (1 %). The gender breakdown of people sleeping rough was similar across all regions in England and was similar to previous years.

Table 3.2.1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by gender since 2017.

Year	Male	Female	Not Known	Total
2017	3,965	653	133	4,751
2018	3,937	642	98	4,677
2019	3,534	614	118	4,266
2020	2,277	377	34	2,688

Figure 3.2.1: Proportion of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by gender since 2017.

Table 3.2.2: Proportion of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by gender and region since 2017.

Area	Male	Female	Not Known
England	85	14	1
Rest of England	85	14	1
London	83	15	2

3.3 Nationality

Most people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were from the UK.

Most people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 were from the UK. This is similar to previous years. In 2020, there were 1,922 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night who were from the UK (72 % of the total), 472 people (18 % of the total) were EU (Non-UK) nationals and 128 people (5 % of the total) were from outside the EU and the UK. The nationality of 166 people (6 % of the total) was ‘Not known’.

Table 3.3.1: Estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by nationality since 2017.

Year	UK	EU (Non-UK)	Non-EU	Not Known	Total
2017	3,396	760	193	402	4,751
2018	3,013	1,048	153	463	4,677
2019	2,735	937	151	443	4,266
2020	1,922	472	128	166	2,688

Figure 3.3.1: Proportion of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by nationality since 2017.

In London, nearly half of the people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were from outside the UK in 2020. In total, 302 people were from the UK (42 % of the total), 270 people (38 % of the total) were EU (Non-UK) nationals and 81 people (11 % of the total) were from outside the EU and the UK. The nationality of 61 people (9 % of the total) was ‘Not known’.

Across the Rest of England, 1,620 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were from the UK (82 % of the total), 202 people were EU (Non-UK) nationals (10 % of total), 47 people were from outside the EU and the UK (2 % of total) and for 105 people (5 % of the total) nationality was ‘Not known’.

Table 3.3.2: Proportion of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by nationality and region since 2017.

Area	UK	EU (Non-UK)	Non-EU	Not Known
England	72	18	5	6
Rest of England	82	10	2	5
London	42	38	11	9

The number of people estimated to be sleeping rough who were from the UK decreased the most compared to other nationalities. In 2020, there were 1,922 people from the UK estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night compared to 2,735 people in 2019, which is a decrease of 813 people. However, UK nationals make up a larger percentage of the total number of people sleeping rough on a single night in 2020 (72 %) compared to 2019 (64 %).

EU (Non-UK) nationals make up a lower percentage of the total number of people sleeping rough on a single night in 2020 (18 %) compared to 2019 (22 %). This is reflected in the large decrease in people from this year (472 people) compared to last year (937 people), which represents a 50 % decrease in EU (Non-UK) nationals.

There was also a large change in the number of people sleeping rough whose nationality was ‘Not Known’ compared to last year (63 % decrease). This may be due to increased outreach services or improved intelligence gathering from local agencies that supply local authorities with information on people sleeping rough.

Table 3.3.3: Difference to previous year in the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn by nationality.

Nationality	2019	2020	Difference	% change
UK	2,735	1,922	-813	-30
EU (Non-UK)	937	472	-465	-50
Non-EU	151	128	-23	-15
Not Known	443	166	-277	-63
Total	4,266	2,688	-1,578	-37

4. Snapshot approach

Most local authorities (86 %) used the same approach for their Rough sleeping snapshot as they did last year.

Most local authorities used an evidence-based meeting for their Rough sleeping snapshot, which is similar to previous years.

Local authorities, in conjunction with local agencies, decide which approach to use for their snapshot of rough sleeping. They are advised to use the approach that will most accurately reflect the number of people sleeping rough in their local authority and will provide an estimate that best meets the local context. There are different approaches a local authority can decide to use, this includes:

• A count-based estimate which is the number of people seen sleeping rough in the local authority on a ‘typical night’ - a single date chosen by the local authority between 1 October and 30 November.

• An evidence-based estimate meeting which is an evidence-based assessment by local agencies, leading to a single snapshot figure that represents the number of people thought to be sleeping rough in the local authority on a ‘typical night’ - a single date chosen by the local authority between 1 October and 30 November.

• An evidence-based estimate meeting including a spotlight count which is the same as above, but with one of the evidence sources also including a street count, which might not be as extensive as the count-based estimate but has taken place after midnight on the ‘typical night’.

In 2020, 275 local authorities (88 %) used an evidence-based estimate meeting or an evidence-based estimate meeting including spotlight count for their Rough sleeping snapshot and 39 local authorities (12 %) used a count-based estimate.

Figure 4.1: Approach used by local authorities for their Rough sleeping snapshot since 2010.

As in previous years, most local authorities used an evidence-based estimate meeting for their Rough sleeping snapshot. More local authorities supplemented their evidence-based estimate meetings with a spotlight count compared to last year. However, we do not know how this compares with earlier years, as although this approach was available, only a distinction between evidence-based estimate meetings and count-based estimates were recorded and published at the time.

Fewer local authorities used a count-based estimate for the Rough sleeping snapshot compared to last year which in some cases was due to areas changing approach following the national restrictions announcement on 31 October 2020, which started on 5 November 2020.

Table 4.1: Approach used by local authorities for their Rough sleeping snapshot compared to previous year.

Approach	2019	2020
Count-based estimate	78	39
Evidence-based estimate meeting	135	149
Evidence-based estimate meeting (inc. spotlight count)	104	126
Total	317	314

Local authorities can change approach from year to year but any decision to do so must be guided by whether it will produce the most accurate figure. Homeless Link, who independently verified the Rough sleeping snapshot, ask for details of this decision-making as part of the verification process to ensure any changes meet the guidance. If the reasons given for an approach change were deemed unsatisfactory, then the local authority snapshot figure would not be verified.

There are several reasons why a local authority may change from an evidence-based estimate to a count-based estimate or vice versa from year to year. For example, a local authority may change from an evidence-based estimate to a count-based estimate if there are a lack of local agencies with intelligence about where people are sleeping rough or if agencies refuse to share their data, making it difficult to form an accurate estimate. A local authority may change from a count-based estimate to an evidence-based estimate if there are new sleep sites which are inaccessible or unsafe to access, which would not be included in a count-based estimate.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, further verification was introduced for all areas this year to ensure figures provided were accurate. For any areas that changed from a count-based estimate, following the new national restrictions announcement, Homeless Link verifiers attended the evidence-based estimate meeting in person, by being present at the online estimate meeting. Homeless Link also contacted partner agencies separately (including an independent partner) to complete verification. 14 (4 %) of areas changed approach from a count-based estimate to an evidence-based estimate following the national restrictions announcement, of which 8 included a spotlight count. All these evidence-based estimate meetings were verified in person by a Homeless Link verifier and partner agencies were contacted separately (including an independent partner) to complete verification. Further information about verification is available in the technical report.

The 2018 RSI impact evaluation found that local authorities changing their approach to measuring rough sleeping from count-based estimate to evidence-based estimate and vice versa, was unlikely to account for the fall in rough sleeping seen in these local authorities. A more detailed analysis of the Rough sleeping snapshot overtime was carried out to examine the possible effects of local authorities changing their snapshot approach. This is available in the technical report.

Figure 4.2: Percentage of local authorities that changed approach^{[footnote 3]} for their Rough sleeping snapshot to previous year.

5. Consultation with local agencies

Nearly three quarters of local authorities consulted five or more agencies for their snapshot estimate.

Most local authorities involved the police, voluntary sector and outreach teams for their snapshot estimate.

Local authorities consult local agencies to discuss what intelligence they have about rough sleeping locally to check if there are any factors that might affect the choice of a ‘typical night’ for the estimate. Furthermore, the local authority should involve those local agencies that have the most accurate information about who is sleeping rough. In 2020, every local authority reported that they had consulted with at least one type of local agency, and 74 % reported they had consulted five different groups or more.

The involvement of local agencies is an essential element of the Rough sleeping snapshot. It ensures transparency about how the snapshot was carried out and enables Homeless Link to speak to independent local agencies as part of the verification process. Homeless Link will not verify the process where no local agencies, or only those that are part of or commissioned by the local authority, are involved.

This year, 14 local authorities (4 %) provided figures that were unverified by Homeless Link. This was because they did not involve independent, non-commissioned local partners. These snapshots are still included in this year’s publication but consideration about the lack of independence needs to be considered when interpreting these figures for these specific local authorities.

The main reasons for local authorities not involving independent local agencies was related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In some local authorities, people who were due to attend were either self-isolating or shielding so they could not be involved. In other cases, people had not been working throughout the pandemic so did not have sufficient intelligence about people sleeping rough. Furthermore, some independent partners, who were usually involved in the snapshot, had since been provided with funding to deliver support during the pandemic. This meant they were no longer non-commissioned and therefore not independent. In some other cases, local authorities involved independent, non-commissioned local partners in the planning of the process but not the actual count-based estimate or evidence-based estimate meeting, so these were unverified. Further information about verification is available in the technical report.

Figure 5.1: Number of agencies consulted by local authorities for their Rough sleeping snapshot this year.

In 2020, nearly all local authorities involved the voluntary sector, the police and outreach workers in their Rough sleeping snapshot. Most local authorities also involved substance misuse teams and mental health agencies.

Figure 5.2: Local agencies most involved in the 2020 Rough sleeping snapshot.

6. Technical notes

6.1 Data tables, interactive dashboard and technical report

Four accompanying tables are available alongside this release. These include the number of people sleeping rough, demographic information (i.e. age, gender, nationality), the snapshot approach used and any consultations that took place with local agencies.

An interactive dashboard and infographic enables users to explore trends in rough sleeping since 2010. A technical report explains in more detail how the rough sleeping data is collected and provides an assessment of data quality and data limitations.

6.2 Data quality and limitations

These statistics provide a way of estimating the number of people sleeping rough across England on a single night in autumn and assessing change over time. Accurately estimating the number of people sleeping rough within a local authority is inherently difficult given the hidden nature of rough sleeping. Furthermore, there are a range of factors that can impact on the number of people seen or thought to be sleeping rough on any given night. These include the weather, where people choose to sleep, the date and time chosen, and the availability of alternatives such as available night shelters.

The impact evaluation of the 2018 RSI found that local authorities changing their approach to measuring rough sleeping was unlikely to account for the fall in rough sleeping observed in these local authorities. It also found that the weather on the night of, and leading up to, the snapshot was also unlikely to have impacted on the number of people sleeping rough.

Homeless Link have been funded by MHCLG since 2010 to provide guidance to local authorities who conduct the snapshot of rough sleeping and to independently verify all local authorities’ snapshots. For more information about the quality assurance processes, data limitations and the role of Homeless Link please see the technical report.

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) which is the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority completed a compliance check of the rough sleeping snapshot statistics against the Code of Practice for Statistics. This review considered the value, quality and trustworthiness of these statistics in relation to the Code.

6.3 Related statistics

Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN)

The Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) is a multi-agency database recording information about people seen rough sleeping by outreach teams in London. CHAIN is managed by St Mungo’s, a London-based homeless charity and is used by organisations working with people sleeping rough in London. Information is recorded onto the CHAIN database by people who work directly with people sleeping rough in London (e.g. workers in outreach teams, day centres, hostels and resettlement teams). CHAIN does not cover ‘hidden homeless’ groups, such as those who are squatting or staying in inaccessible locations to outreach workers.

The CHAIN data, which is published quarterly and annually, is not directly comparable to the single night snapshot estimates presented in this release. The CHAIN data most similar to the single night snapshot provides a total count of all individuals seen sleeping rough by outreach teams in London on at least one night during the October to December 2020 quarter. Whereas, the MHCLG single night snapshot for autumn 2020 shows the number of people seen or thought to be sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November 2020. The CHAIN database also records more detailed demographic information about people sleeping rough.

Although the CHAIN database provides more information about the flows and characteristics of people sleeping rough in London, MHCLG’s Rough sleeping snapshot provides a way of estimating the number of people sleeping rough on a single night and measuring change over time. CHAIN data quality is influenced by the number of outreach workers active on any one night. A local authority which does not have a commissioned outreach team may appear to have fewer rough sleepers than an adjacent borough which does have an active outreach service.

Deaths of homeless people in England and Wales

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes experimental statistics on the number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales.

Coronavirus and deaths of homeless people in England and Wales

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also publishes statistics on the number of identified deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) of people who were homeless..

Hostels and support services

Homeless Link publishes an Annual Review of Single Homelessness support, which includes information about the number of hostels and shelters in England and available bed spaces, as well as the support and services available to single people who become homeless in England.

MHCLG related statistics

The rough sleeping statistics do not provide a definitive number of people or households affected by homelessness in England. The term ‘homelessness’ is much broader than people sleeping rough. It is difficult to provide an accurate estimate of all homelessness across England. Data used to compile any estimate is collated from different datasets, which sample different subsets of the population over different time frames. Any estimate of homelessness in England will collate datasets that are not discrete from one another, which means some individuals may have been included more than once in the estimated total.

Support for people sleeping rough during the COVID-19 pandemic

MHCLG have recently begun to collect and publish new management information about the support for rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping, as part of the ‘Everyone In’ scheme in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rough sleeping questionnaire

MHCLG recently developed and published the initial report on the rough sleeping questionnaire (RSQ), which represents one of the largest survey data collections on people who sleep rough ever attempted in the UK. The report provides insights into the experiences of people who have slept rough, including their support needs and vulnerabilities, experiences of homelessness and use of public services, as well as an estimate of the fiscal cost associated with someone who sleeps rough.

Statutory homelessness

MHCLG also collect and publish quarterly statistics on the broad characteristics and circumstances of households owed a statutory homelessness duty. This includes households who approach the council for help with housing who are sleeping rough. The Statutory Homelessness statistics includes some but not all of the people provided with accommodation in response to COVID-19 through the ‘Everyone In’ scheme. Not all individuals assisted through ‘Everyone In’ would have been owed a homelessness duty. Any individual not owed a homelessness duty would not be part of the local authority case level data submission to MHCLG and therefore would not be included in the Statutory Homelessness statistics. People sleeping rough will only be recorded in these statistics if they have made an application that has been accepted by the local authority.

Hidden homelessness

MHCLG produce other statistical releases that can help build up the wider homelessness picture. For example, the English Housing Survey publishes data on the number of people sofa surfing and concealed households in England, which are additional adults in a household who wanted to rent or buy but could not afford to do so. In addition, the CORE social housing lettings collection publishes data on those moving from homelessness into Local Authority/ Private Registered Providers accommodation.

Expenditure on homelessness

MHCLG publish statistics on local authority revenue expenditure and financing in England. The RO4 return within the Revenue Outturn suite relates to housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities.

6.4 Revisions policy

This policy has been developed in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for statistics and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Revisions Policy. There are two types of revisions that the policy covers:

Non-Scheduled Revisions Where a substantial error has occurred as a result of the compilation, imputation or dissemination process. The statistical release, live tables and other accompanying releases will be updated with a correction notice as soon as is practical.

If a local authority notifies MHCLG of an error in the information they have submitted after publication of the release, a decision on whether to revise will be made based upon the impact of any change and the effect it has on the interpretation of the data.

Scheduled Revisions There are no scheduled revisions for this release.

6.5 Uses of the data

The data in this statistical release provide evidence on the prevalence of and trends in rough sleeping in England.

Within MHCLG they are used:

• For ministerial briefing and correspondence, Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information Act cases and to answer public enquiries.

• As background to policy development.

• For monitoring policy, allocating resources, performance monitoring and to support bids for funding from the Treasury.

Outside of MHCLG users include:

• Local housing authorities for monitoring progress, planning and commissioning services to prevent and tackle rough sleeping.

• Other government departments (e.g. Department for Health and Social Care, Public Health Outcomes Framework).

• The voluntary sector and academics to monitor and evaluate housing policy and for campaigning and fundraising purposes.

• EU bodies to compare homelessness across Europe (e.g. FEANTSA Overview of Housing Exclusion in Europe).

6.6 User engagement

Users are encouraged to provide feedback on how these statistics are used and how well they meet user needs. Comments on any issues relating to this statistical release are welcomed and encouraged.

Please contact roughsleepingstatistics@communities.gov.uk if you have any feedback or comments.

See the Ministry’s engagement strategy to meet the needs of statistics users.

6.7 Devolved administration statistics

The devolved administrations publish their own statistics on homelessness which contain information on rough sleeping:

• The Scottish Government publishes figures on the number of households applying to the local authority for assistance under homelessness legislation who say they have slept rough the previous night or have reported their housing situation as ‘long term roofless’.

• The Welsh Government publish a national annual rough sleeping monitoring exercise, which includes a two week information gathering exercise followed by a one night snapshot count. This is carried out by local authorities, in partnership with other local agencies to gauge the extent of rough sleeping across Wales. This was not carried out this year due to the pandemic. The Welsh Government is also collecting and publishing management information on persons placed into temporary accommodation and rough sleepers in response to the pandemic.

• The governing legislation for homelessness in Northern Ireland is the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 (as amended). Unlike the other three UK nations, housing is allocated by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), which covers the whole of Northern Ireland, rather than by local authorities. In Northern Ireland, statistics on homelessness are obtained from the NIHE. They carry out an annual street count in Belfast in partnership with other local agencies and homeless organisations.

Comparing between UK countries

The figures are not directly comparable between countries as they have a different methodology, coverage and are carried out at different time periods. ONS recently published a report and an interactive tool on the comparability and coherence of existing UK government data sources on homelessness.

Pre-release access The pre-release access list gives details about the officials who have 24 hours pre-release access to the Ministry’s rough sleeping statistics prior to publication.

7. Enquiries

Media

Telephone: 0303 444 1209

Email: newsdesk@communities.gov.uk

Statistical enquiries

Telephone: 0303 444 2623 or 8941

Email: roughsleepingstatistics@communities.gov.uk

Responsible Analysts: Jon White & Anthony Ash

Information on Official Statistics is available via the UK Statistics Authority website.

Information about statistics at MHCLG is available via the Ministry’s website.

8. Annex: Regional maps

The following regional maps detail the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2020 for each local authority in England.

8.1 London

Number of people sleeping rough in London on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Barking and Dagenham	BraD	Count	10
Barnet	Barnt	Estimate including spotlight	6
Bexley	Bxly	Estimate	16
Brent	Brent	Count	12
Bromley	Brml	Count	1
Camden	Cmdn	Count	42
City of London	CtoL	Estimate including spotlight	23
Croydon	Cryd	Count	15
Ealing	Elng	Count	25
Enfield	Enfl	Estimate including spotlight	19
Greenwich	Grnw	Count	11
Hackney	Hckn	Count	18
Hammersmith and Fulham	HmaF	Estimate	4
Haringey	Hrng	Estimate including spotlight	8
Harrow	Hrrw	Estimate	6
Havering	Hvrn	Estimate	3
Hillingdon	Hlln	Count	11
Hounslow	Hnsl	Estimate including spotlight	6
Islington	Isln	Estimate including spotlight	20
Kensington and Chelsea	KnaC	Count	21
Kingston upon Thames	KnuT	Count	14
Lambeth	Lmbt	Estimate including spotlight	20
Lewisham	Lwsh	Count	12
Merton	Mrtn	Estimate	13
Newham	Nwhm	Count	6
Redbridge	Rdbr	Estimate including spotlight	24
Richmond upon Thames	RcuT	Count	7
Southwark	Sthw	Count	24
Sutton	Sttn	Count	1
Tower Hamlets	TwrH	Estimate including spotlight	40
Waltham Forest	WltF	Estimate	18
Wandsworth	Wnds	Count	16
Westminster	Wstm	Count	242

8.2 South East

Number of people sleeping rough in the South East on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Adur	Adur	Estimate	0
Arun	Arun	Estimate including spotlight	15
Ashford	Ashfr	Estimate including spotlight	0
Basingstoke and Deane	BsaD	Estimate including spotlight	0
Bracknell Forest	BrcF	Estimate including spotlight	4
Brighton and Hove	BraH	Estimate including spotlight	27
Buckinghamshire	Bckn	Estimate	5
Canterbury	Cntr	Estimate including spotlight	24
Cherwell	Chrw	Estimate	10
Chichester	Chch	Estimate including spotlight	3
Crawley	Crwl	Estimate	11
Dartford	Drtf	Estimate including spotlight	4
Dover	Dovr	Count	7
East Hampshire	EstHm	Estimate	1
Eastbourne	Estb	Estimate including spotlight	14
Eastleigh	Estl	Estimate	0
Elmbridge	Elmb	Estimate	5
Epsom and Ewell	EpaE	Estimate including spotlight	3
Fareham	Frhm	Estimate	3
Folkestone and Hythe	FlaH	Count	12
Gosport	Gspr	Estimate including spotlight	3
Gravesham	Grvs	Estimate including spotlight	11
Guildford	Gldf	Estimate	10
Hart	Hart	Estimate	2
Hastings	Hstn	Estimate including spotlight	16
Havant	Hvnt	Estimate	5
Horsham	Hrsh	Estimate including spotlight	5
Isle of Wight	IsoW	Estimate	4
Lewes	Lews	Estimate including spotlight	8
Maidstone	Mdst	Estimate including spotlight	2
Medway	Mdwy	Count	3
Mid Sussex	MdSs	Estimate including spotlight	3
Milton Keynes	MltK	Estimate	18
Mole Valley	MlVl	Estimate including spotlight	0
New Forest	NwFr	Estimate	17
Oxford	Oxfr	Count	19
Portsmouth	Prts	Estimate	29
Reading	Rdng	Estimate including spotlight	19
Reigate and Banstead	RgaB	Estimate including spotlight	2
Rother	Rothr	Estimate including spotlight	3
Runnymede	Rnny	Estimate	2
Rushmoor	Rshm	Estimate	9
Sevenoaks	Svnk	Estimate	6
Slough	Slgh	Estimate including spotlight	17
South Oxfordshire	SthO	Estimate	3
Southampton	Sthm	Estimate including spotlight	19
Spelthorne	Splt	Estimate	6
Surrey Heath	SrrH	Estimate	7
Swale	Swal	Estimate	5
Tandridge	Tndrd	Estimate including spotlight	1
Test Valley	TstV	Estimate	3
Thanet	Thnt	Estimate including spotlight	24
Tonbridge and Malling	TnaM	Estimate	6
Tunbridge Wells	TnbW	Estimate including spotlight	0
Vale of White Horse	VoWH	Estimate	1
Waverley	Wvrl	Estimate	3
Wealden	Wldn	Estimate including spotlight	1
West Berkshire	WstB	Estimate	9
West Oxfordshire	WstO	Estimate	5
Winchester	Wnch	Estimate including spotlight	7
Windsor and Maidenhead	WnaM	Estimate	8
Woking	Wokng	Estimate	1
Wokingham	Wkngh	Count	1
Worthing	Wrth	Estimate	3

8.3 East of England

Number of people sleeping rough in the East of England on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Babergh	Bbrg	Estimate	6
Basildon	Bsld	Count	3
Bedford	Bdfr	Estimate including spotlight	6
Braintree	Brntr	Estimate	0
Breckland	Brck	Estimate	8
Brentwood	Brntw	Estimate	0
Broadland	Brdl	Estimate	3
Broxbourne	Brxb	Estimate	3
Cambridge	Cmbr	Count	16
Castle Point	CstP	Estimate	1
Central Bedfordshire	CntB	Estimate including spotlight	6
Chelmsford	Chlm	Estimate	9
Colchester	Clch	Estimate	4
Dacorum	Dcrm	Estimate including spotlight	7
East Cambridgeshire	EstC	Estimate	0
East Hertfordshire	EstHr	Estimate	6
East Suffolk	EstSf	Estimate including spotlight	10
Epping Forest	EppF	Estimate	1
Fenland	Fnln	Estimate including spotlight	5
Great Yarmouth	GrtY	Estimate including spotlight	18
Harlow	Hrlw	Estimate	4
Hertsmere	Hrts	Estimate	11
Huntingdonshire	Hntn	Estimate	8
Ipswich	Ipsw	Estimate including spotlight	9
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk	KLaWN	Estimate	11
Luton	Lutn	Estimate including spotlight	15
Maldon	Mldn	Estimate	1
Mid Suffolk	MdSf	Estimate	1
North Hertfordshire	NrtH	Estimate	2
North Norfolk	NrtN	Estimate	7
Norwich	Nrwc	Count	21
Peterborough	Ptrb	Estimate including spotlight	9
Rochford	Rchf	Estimate	1
South Cambridgeshire	SthC	Estimate	3
South Norfolk	SthNrf	Estimate	2
Southend-on-Sea	S–S	Count	8
St Albans	StAl	Estimate including spotlight	2
Stevenage	Stvn	Estimate	6
Tendring	Tndrn	Estimate including spotlight	0
Three Rivers	ThrR	Estimate	4
Thurrock	Thrr	Estimate	5
Uttlesford	Uttl	Estimate	0
Watford	Wtfr	Count	8
Welwyn Hatfield	WlwH	Estimate	2
West Suffolk	WstS	Estimate	14

8.4 South West

Number of people sleeping rough in the South West on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Bath and North East Somerset	BaNES	Estimate including spotlight	13
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole	BCaP	Count	25
Bristol, City of	B,Co	Count	50
Cheltenham	Chlt	Estimate	6
Cornwall	Crnw	Estimate including spotlight	29
Cotswold	Ctsw	Estimate	5
Dorset	Drst	Estimate	16
East Devon	EstD	Estimate	13
Exeter	Extr	Estimate including spotlight	37
Forest of Dean	FroD	Estimate	0
Gloucester	Glcs	Estimate	11
Isles of Scilly	IsoS	Estimate	0
Mendip	Mndp	Estimate including spotlight	17
Mid Devon	MdDv	Estimate	2
North Devon	NrtD	Estimate including spotlight	12
North Somerset	NrtS	Estimate including spotlight	10
Plymouth	Plym	Count	16
Sedgemoor	Sdgm	Estimate	9
Somerset West and Taunton	SWaT	Estimate including spotlight	18
South Gloucestershire	SthG	Estimate	5
South Hams	SthHm	Estimate including spotlight	1
South Somerset	SthSm	Estimate including spotlight	3
Stroud	Strd	Estimate	5
Swindon	Swnd	Estimate including spotlight	9
Teignbridge	Tgnb	Estimate	6
Tewkesbury	Twks	Estimate	1
Torbay	Trby	Estimate	19
Torridge	Trrd	Estimate including spotlight	4
West Devon	WstD	Estimate	0
Wiltshire	Wlts	Estimate including spotlight	12

8.5 West Midlands

Number of people sleeping rough in the West Midlands on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Birmingham	Brmn	Count	17
Bromsgrove	Brms	Estimate	2
Cannock Chase	CnnC	Estimate	8
Coventry	Cvnt	Count	8
Dudley	Ddly	Estimate	4
East Staffordshire	EstSt	Count	0
Herefordshire, County of	H,Co	Estimate including spotlight	16
Lichfield	Lchf	Estimate	3
Malvern Hills	MlvH	Estimate	3
Newcastle-under-Lyme	N–L	Estimate	9
North Warwickshire	NrtW	Estimate including spotlight	0
Nuneaton and Bedworth	NnaB	Estimate including spotlight	6
Redditch	Rddt	Estimate	11
Rugby	Rgby	Estimate including spotlight	5
Sandwell	Sndw	Estimate including spotlight	4
Shropshire	Shrp	Estimate	23
Solihull	Slhl	Estimate including spotlight	1
South Staffordshire	SthSt	Estimate including spotlight	1
Stafford	Stff	Estimate	10
Staffordshire Moorlands	StfM	Estimate including spotlight	0
Stoke-on-Trent	Stk–T	Estimate	28
Stratford-on-Avon	S–A	Estimate including spotlight	4
Tamworth	Tmwr	Estimate	5
Telford and Wrekin	TlaW	Estimate	12
Walsall	Wlsl	Estimate including spotlight	4
Warwick	Wrwc	Estimate including spotlight	4
Wolverhampton	Wlvr	Estimate	6
Worcester	Wrcs	Estimate including spotlight	12
Wychavon	Wych	Estimate	4
Wyre Forest	WyrF	Estimate	4

8.6 East Midlands

Number of people sleeping rough in the East Midlands on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Amber Valley	AmbV	Estimate including spotlight	2
Ashfield	Ashfl	Estimate including spotlight	4
Bassetlaw	Bsst	Estimate including spotlight	4
Blaby	Blby	Estimate	0
Bolsover	Blsv	Estimate including spotlight	4
Boston	Bstn	Estimate including spotlight	8
Broxtowe	Brxt	Estimate including spotlight	2
Charnwood	Chrn	Estimate	5
Chesterfield	Chst	Estimate including spotlight	9
Corby	Crby	Estimate	7
Daventry	Dvnt	Estimate	1
Derby	Drby	Estimate including spotlight	6
Derbyshire Dales	DrbD	Estimate including spotlight	2
East Lindsey	EstL	Estimate including spotlight	4
East Northamptonshire	EstN	Estimate	5
Erewash	Erws	Estimate including spotlight	6
Gedling	Gdln	Estimate including spotlight	0
Harborough	Hrbr	Estimate	2
High Peak	HghP	Estimate including spotlight	3
Hinckley and Bosworth	HnaB	Estimate	2
Kettering	Kttr	Estimate	1
Leicester	Lcst	Estimate including spotlight	12
Lincoln	Lncl	Estimate including spotlight	8
Mansfield	Mnsf	Estimate including spotlight	7
Melton	Mltn	Estimate	3
Newark and Sherwood	NwaS	Estimate including spotlight	6
North East Derbyshire	NrED	Estimate including spotlight	0
North Kesteven	NrtK	Estimate including spotlight	1
North West Leicestershire	NrWL	Estimate	1
Northampton	Nrthmp	Count	9
Nottingham	Nttn	Estimate including spotlight	31
Oadby and Wigston	OdaW	Estimate	0
Rushcliffe	Rshc	Estimate including spotlight	3
Rutland	Rtln	Estimate	2
South Derbyshire	SthD	Estimate	2
South Holland	SthHl	Estimate including spotlight	6
South Kesteven	SthK	Estimate including spotlight	6
South Northamptonshire	SthNrt	Estimate	3
Wellingborough	Wlln	Estimate	9
West Lindsey	WstLnd	Estimate	1

8.7 Yorkshire and The Humber

Number of people sleeping rough in Yorkshire and The Humber on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Barnsley	Brns	Estimate including spotlight	10
Bradford	Brdf	Estimate including spotlight	5
Calderdale	Cldr	Estimate	6
Craven	Crvn	Estimate	4
Doncaster	Dncs	Estimate including spotlight	13
East Riding of Yorkshire	ERoY	Estimate	11
Hambleton	Hmbl	Estimate	0
Harrogate	Hrrg	Estimate	6
Kingston upon Hull, City of	KuHCo	Estimate including spotlight	19
Kirklees	Krkl	Estimate	4
Leeds	Leds	Count	35
North East Lincolnshire	NrEL	Estimate including spotlight	7
North Lincolnshire	NrtL	Estimate	9
Richmondshire	Rchm	Estimate	1
Rotherham	Rthrh	Estimate including spotlight	6
Ryedale	Rydl	Estimate	1
Scarborough	Scrb	Estimate	11
Selby	Slby	Estimate	2
Sheffield	Shff	Count	24
Wakefield	Wkfl	Estimate including spotlight	4
York	York	Estimate including spotlight	3

8.8 North West

Number of people sleeping rough in the North West on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
Allerdale	Allr	Estimate	1
Barrow-in-Furness	B–F	Estimate	0
Blackburn with Darwen	BlwD	Estimate	18
Blackpool	Blck	Estimate	10
Bolton	Bltn	Estimate including spotlight	8
Burnley	Brnl	Estimate	3
Bury	Bury	Estimate	7
Carlisle	Crls	Estimate	1
Cheshire East	ChsE	Estimate including spotlight	6
Cheshire West and Chester	CWaC	Estimate including spotlight	4
Chorley	Chrl	Estimate including spotlight	1
Copeland	Cpln	Estimate	0
Eden	Eden	Estimate	2
Fylde	Fyld	Estimate	6
Halton	Hltn	Estimate including spotlight	1
Hyndburn	Hynd	Estimate	4
Knowsley	Knws	Estimate including spotlight	0
Lancaster	Lncs	Estimate	2
Liverpool	Lvrp	Estimate including spotlight	10
Manchester	Mnch	Count	68
Oldham	Oldh	Estimate including spotlight	2
Pendle	Pndl	Estimate	0
Preston	Prst	Estimate including spotlight	13
Ribble Valley	RbbV	Estimate	1
Rochdale	Rchd	Estimate including spotlight	8
Rossendale	Rssn	Estimate	0
Salford	Slfr	Estimate including spotlight	8
Sefton	Sftn	Estimate	3
South Lakeland	SthL	Estimate	4
South Ribble	SthR	Estimate	1
St. Helens	St.H	Estimate including spotlight	4
Stockport	Stck	Estimate including spotlight	6
Tameside	Tmsd	Estimate including spotlight	3
Trafford	Trff	Estimate	7
Warrington	Wrrn	Estimate including spotlight	1
West Lancashire	WstLnc	Estimate	0
Wigan	Wign	Estimate including spotlight	8
Wirral	Wrrl	Estimate including spotlight	0
Wyre	Wyre	Estimate	5

8.9 North East

Number of people sleeping rough in the North East on a single night in autumn 2020

Local Authority	Abbreviation	Approach	Single night estimate
County Durham	CntD	Estimate including spotlight	11
Darlington	Drln	Estimate	2
Gateshead	Gtsh	Estimate including spotlight	0
Hartlepool	Hrtl	Estimate	8
Middlesbrough	Mddl	Count	8
Newcastle upon Tyne	NwuT	Estimate	13
North Tyneside	NrtT	Estimate	3
Northumberland	Nrthmb	Estimate including spotlight	6
Redcar and Cleveland	RdaC	Estimate including spotlight	1
South Tyneside	SthT	Estimate	6
Stockton-on-Tees	Stc–T	Estimate including spotlight	8
Sunderland	Sndr	Estimate including spotlight	6

Footnotes:

1. This definition has been in place since the snapshot methodology was introduced in 2010. ↩

2. Demographic information was collected for the first time in 2016. The totals included ‘Not known’ but not all local authorities were able to provide exact numbers of these ‘Not known’ responses. Therefore this information is not comparable with later years. ↩

3. Only approach changes from a “Count-based estimate” to “Evidence-based estimate” or “Evidence-based estimate” to a “Count-based estimate” were considered as a change in approach. “Evidence-based estimate” to “Evidence-based estimate including spotlight” (or vice versa) were not recognised as a change in approach. We did not routinely collect and report information about evidence-based estimates including spotlight counts before 2018 despite this approach being available - these were all classified as estimates. ↩