THE New Forest and Gosport have some of the highest rates of homelessness in the UK, a leading housing charity has said.

The total number of homeless people jumped by 13,000 year-on-year to 307,000, a new Shelter report has revealed - more than the population of Newcastle.

Its review - which combines official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures and social services figures - is reportedly the most extensive of its kind.

The population of the Newcastle upon Tyne local authority area is 296,478, according to a 2016 mid-year Office for National Statistics estimate.

Chief executive Polly Neate said thousands were stuck trying to "escape the devastating trap of homelessness", pointing to "decades of failure" on building affordable homes and the effects of recent welfare cuts.

She said: "Some will have spent the night shivering on a cold pavement, others crammed into a dingy, hostel room with their children.

"And what is worse, many are simply unaccounted for."

The Government was recently criticised by the public spending watchdog for failing to effectively tackle the rocketing homelessness that has been partly fuelled by its own welfare reforms.

A snapshot overnight count last autumn recorded 4,134 rough sleepers, a 134% hike since the Conservatives took power, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

Some 77,240 households - including 120,540 children - were in temporary accommodation in March, it added.

The ending of private sector tenancies has become the main cause of homelessness in England, rather than changes in personal circumstances such as relationship breakdowns, with a threefold increase in numbers since 2010/11, the NAO found.

One in 200 people in England is homeless, Shelter said, adding it had mapped 50 "hotspots" across the UK showing where the "epidemic" was most critical.

Newham, East London, had the highest rates - with one in every 25 people reportedly homeless.

Ms Neate added: "As this crisis continues to unfold, the work of our frontline services remains absolutely critical.

"We will do all we can to make sure no-one is left to fight homelessness on their own. But we cannot achieve this alone; we urgently need the public's support to be there for everyone who needs us right now."

The report, Far From Alone: Homelessness In Britain In 2017, estimates total numbers of homeless people using the latest available data from various sources including the Government, charities, and social services.

To support Shelter's appeal, visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70080 to donate £3.

Here is a list of the top 50 local authorities in England with the highest rates of people recorded as homeless, according to Shelter.

The figures have been compiled from data covering only temporary accommodation and rough sleeping.

The list has been ranked starting with the local authority with the highest rate of homelessness.

It reads, from left to right: local authority; region; total number of people homeless; homelessness rate (1 in x people are homeless)

  • 1. Newham; London; 13,607; 25
  • 2. Haringey; London; 9,717; 29
  • 3. Westminster; London; 8,054; 31
  • 4. Enfield; London; 10,057; 33
  • 5. Kensington and Chelsea; London; 4,401; 36
  • 6. Waltham Forest; London; 7,634; 36
  • 7. Brent; London; 8,905; 37
  • 8. Barking and Dagenham; London; 5,578; 37
  • 9. Tower Hamlets; London; 7,428; 41
  • 10. Hackney; London; 6,167; 44
  • 11. Redbridge; London; 6,257; 48
  • 12. Lewisham; London; 6,214; 49
  • 13. Hammersmith and Fulham; London; 3,521; 51
  • 14. Luton; East of England; 4,189; 52
  • 15. Ealing; London; 6,556; 52
  • 16. Croydon; London; 7,075; 54
  • 17. Barnet; London; 7,033; 55
  • 18. Lambeth; London; 5,673; 58
  • 19. Southwark; London; 4,987; 63
  • 20. Brighton and Hove; South East; 4,218; 69
  • 21. Wandsworth; London; 4,595; 69
  • 22. Bromley; London; 4,481; 73
  • 23. Broxbourne; East of England; 1,304; 74
  • 24. Bexley; London; 2,929; 84
  • 25. Birmingham; West Midlands; 12,785; 88
  • 26. Kingston upon Thames; London; 1,933; 91
  • 27. Hounslow; London; 2,778; 98
  • 28. Harrow; London; 2,368; 105
  • 29. Milton Keynes; South East; 2,396; 110
  • 30. Islington; London; 1,927; 121
  • 31. Harlow; East of England; 701; 123
  • 32. City of London; London; 75; 125
  • 33. Havering; London; 1,956; 129
  • 34. Slough; South East; 1,117; 132
  • 35. Hillingdon; London; 2,194; 138
  • 36. Watford; East of England; 675; 143
  • 37. Sutton; London; 1,339; 151
  • 38. Manchester; North West; 3,511; 154
  • 39. Gosport; South East; 533; 160
  • 40. Dartford; South East; 642; 164
  • 41. Reading; South East; 978; 166
  • 42. Bristol; South West; 2,674; 170
  • 43. Basildon; East of England; 1,079; 170
  • 44. Dacorum; East of England; 873; 175
  • 45. Epsom and Ewell; South East; 428; 186
  • 46. Peterborough; East of England; 1,042; 189
  • 47. Camden; London; 1,271; 194
  • 48. New Forest; South East; 890; 201
  • 49. Greenwich; London; 1,387; 202
  • 50. Chelmsford; East of England; 831; 209