Andy Burnham kick-starts the new Mayor’s homelessness fund with pledge of £16,500 donation

Andy Burnham today kick-starts the new Mayor’s homelessness fund with £16,500 donation

Andy Burnham MP has responded to the announcement that the Mayoral salary will be £110,000 by committing to his pledge to donate 15% of that salary to a fund aimed at tackling rough-sleeping, should he be elected Mayor of Greater Manchester on 4 May.

And following similar pledges from people across Greater Manchester including Tom Bloxham MBE, Mike Perls founder and CEO of MC2 and Stephen Critchlow chairman of Evergreen financial pledges now take the fund to over £100,000.

Mr Burnham, Labour’s candidate for the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has said throughout the campaign that, if elected, he will end rough sleeping by 2020. As part of that pledge he has also committed 15% of his Mayoral salary. Today that figure is confirmed as £16,500.

He said: “If I am elected Mayor, I will take immediate action, bringing together charities, businesses and faith groups in a new Homelessness Action Network led by Ivan Lewis MP and Councillor Beth Knowles. I will set the ambitious goal of eradicating rough-sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020.

“To achieve this, everyone will need to play their part. That’s why I have said I will donate 15 per cent of my salary on an on-going basis towards tackling rough-sleeping.”

Mr Burnham says he’s very encouraged that the fund already has financial pledges totalling more than £100,000 but he says it’s not just about money: “If I’m elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in May, I want to hear from anyone who can help. We need expertise, buildings, furniture, food and clothing. We do things differently here in Greater Manchester and people don’t want to walk past the homeless, huddled in doorways. They want to do something and this is the perfect opportunity for them to make a difference. Together we can end rough-sleeping by 2020.”