COUNCIL bosses have confirmed their plans for the next instalment of a homelessness support project in Oldham.

Town hall chiefs were awarded £231,000 by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority at the end of May towards their share of the A Bed Every Night (ABEN) initiative.

The scheme is Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's flagship policy to tackle rough sleeping and the funding was to cover the borough's contribution to ABEN from July 1 to March 31 next year.

Under a proposal endorsed by Emma Barton, the borough council's economy director, a further £69,300 has been allocated to deliver dedicated accommodation and support for rough sleepers, 'with no recourse to public funds, to the value of £30,000.

The ratified proposals will see an existing lease at 100 Shaw Road extended for another six months.

And in similar vein, the lease for 85 Union Street will also be extended for nine months, to benefit ABEN.

Permission has also been granted to publish a new tender to deliver the third phase of the project, with associated staffing costs to be covered by GMCA funding.

An external supplier is being sought because, according to the council's own analysis, the authority does not have the staffing or in-house expertise to move the scheme forward currently. Council officials had also discounted the potential disruption of moving tenants out of 100 Shaw Road, if a replacement building had to be found.