An all-party committee of MPs has called for a new strategy to tackle the growing homelessness crisis.

The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Select Committee has called for changes to the law which would compel local authorities to provide effective support for all people at risk of homelessness, including single homeless people and couples without children.

Liz Rutherfoord, SHP Chief Executive, said: “Here in London such legislation is urgently needed. We are in the grip of a homelessness crisis, as spiralling rent, insecure tenancies and welfare cuts force increasing numbers of people on to the capital’s streets.

“But London councils, still feeling the impact of successive years of cuts, cannot tackle this alone.  Central government needs to work in partnership with local authorities, giving them the powers and funding they need to prevent homelessness, borough by borough."

The committee calls on ministers to support a private member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP Bob Blackman, which would require councils to provide practical help to anyone who is homeless or at risk of losing their home, regardless of whether they are deemed to be in ‘priority need’ – a status largely reserved for families with children.

Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, said: “No one should be homeless in Britain today. The scale of homelessness is now such that a renewed Government strategy is a must. It needs to not only help those who are homeless but also prevent those vulnerable families and individuals who are at risk of becoming homeless from joining them.”