KEIGHLEY MP Kris Hopkins has praised the work of councils and voluntary organisations in helping the homeless.

At a Parliamentary reception in London hosted by charity Homeless Link, the communities minister spoke of the Government's commitment to tackling the problem.

"We've backed this with over £1 billion of investment but it's the voluntary sector – in partnership with local authorities – that does the heavy lifting," said Mr Hopkins.

He added that during his 15 months with ministerial responsibility for homelessness, he had seen the impact of the services offered.

But Mr Hopkins warned more still needed to be done.

"On any given day there are still more than 2,000 people sleeping rough and over 30,000 in hostels in England – this is unacceptable," he said.