Andy Street: Government policy has caused homelessness to rise in West Midlands

The Metro Mayor says this is down to the freezing of a housing allowance, which has made it harder for people to pay for a roof over their head.

He has taken aim at the government, which is run by his own party The Conservatives, saying: "The government’s freezing of the local housing allowance rate has undoubtedly contributed to an increase in homelessness in the West Midlands.

" People under 35 are only eligible for £248.47 a month because they are expected to live in a bedroom with a shared bathroom, lavatory and kitchen, even if they’re unable to find suitable shared accommodation. No wonder that many people fall behind on their payments and end up being evicted.

"There is an urgent need for the government to act, and it cannot wait until Brexit is sorted out."

He also slammed private landlords for hiking rent rates and wants to see an improvement overall in the quality of housing available to people who rent.

He said: "Private rents in comparable one-bedroom flats in Birmingham have gone up 11 per cent over the last three years.

"These low local housing allowance rates have led many landlords to skimp on the upkeep of properties, leaving tenants in poor-quality housing, or to move into the supported housing sector to reap the higher rates of housing benefit available, often without providing the high-quality support services which are also needed.

"The new government needs to increase local housing allowance to a level where 30 per cent of rented homes in any area are affordable to everyone.

"We should make sure that the lower rate for shared accommodation only applies to those actually living in shared accommodation, regardless of their age.

"We should also crack down on poor-quality housing, and government should also allow people to opt for the local housing allowance to be paid directly to landlords.

"We have a moral duty to tackle homelessness and these changes would make an immediate and significant difference.

"But there is also a return to the Treasury from increasing the local housing allowance. There will be less need for costly temporary accommodation and fewer people getting into a spiral of health issues that burden the NHS and public services."