The regular donations have largely slipped under the radar
Andy Burnham has been donating 15 per cent of his salary to a charity helping those living on the streets in Greater Manchester since he was first elected in 2017.
The Manchester mayor put eradicating rough sleeping as one of his top priorities when he was first elected into the job and has been putting his money where his mouth is to help initiatives he helped set up ever since.
A Bed Every Night scheme provides a bed and vital personal support for people facing a night on the streets of Greater Manchester.
According to literature on the campaign’s website, it’s more than just a place to sleep: “It’s the start of a journey to stability and security, helping people get back on their feet and into a home of their own.”
The charity receives a cut of Burnham’s £110,000 salary every month, helping people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
It has also helped the mayor get out of a few scrapes with people on social media who use the common trope that politicians are all words and no action.
In 2018 comedian Lee Hurst aimed a number of tweets at Mr Burnham over his salary and “totally unnecessary” job.
“Andy Burnham could always take a pay cut or abolish his own post altogether to make the money they do have go further. That ain’t gonna happen though,” Mr Hurst wrote.
In reply, the Labour mayor reminded the comedian: “Actually, Lee, it is happening. I donate 15% of my salary every month to the fund I have set up to tackle homelessness”, giving him the nickname ‘Andy Burn-ham’.
