Today I am hosting a summit on homelessness. The event will bring together the region’s local authorities, MPs, leading organisations – such as South Yorkshire Housing Association and Crisis – and people who have first-hand experience of homelessness as we seek to eradicate homelessness in South Yorkshire.

We have seen a rapid increase in the number of people sleeping rough on our streets in recent years. You only have to walk along Cheapside, or through the underpass between the Alhambra and Sheffield Road, to see that the numbers of rough sleepers in Barnsley have risen in recent years.

Homelessness is an urgent priority that must be tackled. The fact that anyone in the 21^st century has to sleep rough, or exist without a permanent home, is an absolute disgrace and one that, sadly, is an indictment of this Government’s approach to public services.