MALDON district is to get a share of £300,000 government cash to help keep rough sleepers off the streets following the pandemic.

It is hoped by council bosses that this could be the start of a long-term drive to end rough sleeping in the county.

The money will be used to help Maldon District Council(MDC), working with local partners, to provide housing for the homeless over the winter months. Rough sleepers will also be supported to deal with some of the problems that led to their homelessness.

The cash was secured through a joint bid by MDC, Essex County Council and four other councils in the county to the Next Steps Accommodation Programme. The scheme is to rough sleepers who were brought into emergency housing during the Covid-19 pandemic avoid returning to the streets.

The hope is that the scheme will help reduce the number of rough sleepers nationally and the cash provided to Maldon covers the period up to March, 2021.

Councillor John Spence, Essex County Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:

"By working together, we can make a real difference in addressing the problems of homeless rough sleeping in Essex with the long-term aim of eradicating it completely."