HAMPSHIRE could be in line to receive a hefty grant in a bid to help the growing number of rough sleepers on its streets.

It comes as the government has pledged to put together a team of experts to determine where a £30 million fund should go.

Ministers say they want to “break the homelessness cycle once and for all” and councils with high levels of rough sleepers will be helped, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said.

Mr Javid said the latest plans were part of the government’s ongoing work to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminate it by 2027

Currently, it is unknown how much the county council will be given.

The rough sleeping team will be made up of experts from government departments and agencies that have specialist knowledge in areas such as housing, mental health and addiction.

Mr Javid promised that £100,000 of funding will go to frontline rough sleeping workers across the country to ensure they have the right skills to deal with the issue.

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “Any additional funding from government to tackle homelessness is to be welcomed. This would normally go direct to Hampshire’s housing authorities who have statutory obligations for tackling the issue.

“For our part, we will continue to work closely with our district and borough partners to ensure that homeless people with adult social care needs are identified at the earliest opportunity so that the appropriate support can be put in place.”