00:00And how do you feel walking into Parliament through one of the richest cities in the world and seeing so
00:07many homeless people on the streets of Westminster?
00:11Well, it's heartbreaking. Not only is it heartbreaking when I walk into Parliament or when I see people on the
00:17streets there in my own constituency in Greater Manchester.
00:19You know, you see this in cities and in acute in some areas around England that it is a challenge
00:26and we want to make sure that the members of the public can play their part in supporting the charities
00:31and the voluntary sector we're working with while supporting local authorities to deliver these routes off the streets so that
00:39we can all play our part and know that there is an option and that we can help and support
00:43people with the right care and the support to end rough sleeping.
00:47And in terms of London, in terms of tackling homelessness, can that be done without actually addressing the bigger issue
00:56of the housing crisis in the capital?
01:00And why is it so difficult to build homes in the capital?
01:04Well, in my true northern style, bluntly, no, it can't be done without tackling the housing crisis in the city.
01:12And we've already seen nearly 200, nearly 300 percent, sorry, starts coming through so that we are ramping up house
01:21building in the capital.
01:22We've made changes to the building safety regulation function so that we can get these houses built.
01:29And we've got some really good stats to show that the mayor of London working with the local authorities are
01:35really trying to tackle this issue.
01:37And the government gave 30 percent of the social and affordable homes programme money that we announced only a couple
01:43of weeks ago to London
01:45because we not only recognise the acute challenge and needs of London, but also recognise the success of the mayor
01:53of London working with the local authorities to bring those houses stats up by nearly 300 percent.
