LET’S hope Andy Burnham’s tough response to homelessness starts to bear fruit.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester says the area’s response is not good enough and has pledged to end rough sleeping by 2020. He’s right, of course, and we desperately need to do more.

We should start, though, with a reality check on the figures involved. In Bolton, for example, the official figure is just 17 rough sleepers but local organisations dealing with the homeless say it is much more, and they should know.

Without accuracy in the situation, it makes convincing the public we need more action difficult.