The number of people living on London's streets in the run-up to Christmas in 2024 rose by more than a quarter compared to the previous year. 

Officials identified 704 people living on the streets of the capital between October and December - a 26 per cent rise on 2023.    

Meanwhile, a total of 4,612 individuals were found to be sleeping rough, a five per cent increase on the year before. 

The on Friday, 31 January, were branded 'incredibly concerning' by a leading homelessness charity, and raise fresh questions about the Mayor of London's approach to tackling homelessness. 

Sir Sadiq Khan - who was knighted in the New Year's honours in a deeply controversial move - has pledged to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2030.

People are deemed to be living on the streets if they have had been seen rough sleeping on several occasions over a period of three weeks or more.  

Numbers sleeping rough in the capital hit a record high in the previous July-September period at 4,780, so while the most recent figures are down slightly on that, they are the second highest quarterly figure on record. 

New rough sleepers - of which 2,115 were recorded - decreased by 7% on the same period in 2023.

In the borough of Richmond Upon Thames, there were 38 recorded people living on the streets between 2024 and 25, with 63 per cent of rough sleepers in the borough being from the UK, 19 per cent from Europe, 9 per cent from Asia,, and 3 per cent from Africa.

Westminster had the highest number of rough sleepers with 945.

The London Mayor recently said that rough sleeping could get worse this year, before improving in 2026. 

He told the Big Issue magazine: "I think you'll start seeing progress, there will be milestones along the way. 

"We're in 2025 now, I think things are going to get worse this year, but things will improve by next year."

He has announced what he described as 'the biggest ever investment in tackling rough sleeping' since 2000, in the form of homelessness hubs across the city.

Following the publication of the latest figures on Friday, a spokesperson for the Mayor described the numbers as "a shameful legacy of the last Government".

They added: "The Mayor is doing everything in his power to help Londoners off the streets and into more secure accommodation.

"Just this week he delivered the biggest ever single investment of £10 million to tackle the capital's rough sleeping crisis - more than any London Mayor - to expand the number of homelessness hubs across the capital."

Earlier this month the Government announced it was tripling rough sleeping funding for England to help people off the streets this winter to £30 million.

The Government had announced £10 million before Christmas to boost the use of emergency accommodation, but said an extra £20 million was now available to tackle record levels of rough sleeping.