Norwich City Council could receive more than £300,000 in government funding to provide support to rough sleepers in the city.

The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government is to allocate money to 83 local authorities with the highest numbers of rough sleepers.

And it has today announced which areas could benefit from its £34m funding pot.

The money will be used to back on-going initiatives to help rough sleepers, such as dedicated support teams and securing additional bed spaces.

Norwich has been included in the provisional allocation and could receive £339,929 over the next two years.

However, it will depend on whether programmes and services aimed at helping the homeless in the city are delivered.

The funding announcement follows the launch of the government's rough sleeping strategy last month.

Communities secretary, MP James Brokenshire said: 'Our rough sleeping strategy set out the blueprint to end rough sleeping by 2027.

'Now, we are vigorously taking the steps to make that happen.

'The funding through our rough sleeping initiative is already making a real difference in helping support those off the streets into services and accommodation this year.

'But there is still work to do and that's why we are supporting these areas with further funding to ensure progress continues to be made and vulnerable people are supported into services and accommodation.'

The government said the funding is an extension of the £30m it provided to councils in June through its rough sleeping initiative fund.

If a council has not fully spent its 2018/19 allocation, the government will subtract the unspent amount from the 2019/20 allocation.

The government said its expert rough sleeping initiative team has closely monitored the progress of the schemes developed from the first £30m.

In July, the city council, working in partnership with seven organisations, launched The Pathways project, which aims to provide support to rough sleepers.

The scheme will see staff engage with vulnerable people as they encounter them on the streets.