Landlord hits back after backlash for welcoming rough sleepers into pub

However, some punters have criticised the move, with Mr Holdforth saying they were directing "horrible, nasty comments" towards them.

Now, the Hanley pub has hit back, defending their actions and offering a collection tin for drinkers who want to donate.

In a statement posted to social media, the pub said: "If I invite an homeless person into the Albion to give him or her a drink of coffee or tea and let them have a five min sit down...then that is my choice.

"Your horrible nasty comments towards them are not needed in anyway at all..if the shoe was on the other foot I'd be so grateful for the same treatment.

"So going forward I have decided to do a pay it forward pot (if anyone has a heart like me) give our bar staff a spare bit of change and we will pay it forward by continuing to give the homeless ladies and gents a hot coffee or tea and maybe a bag of crisps."

Over December, the pub said they had helped 15 homeless people with a hot drink.

The statement continued: "Please keep your negative comments to yourself, these ladies and gentlemen are also human beings and also have feelings.

"[They are] just trying to survive, they ain’t harming no one so please don’t try to hurt them...In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

The pub was praised on social media, with one user commenting: "I wish more people were kind enough to do the same thing, especially with the weather we are having at the moment as well, nobody should have to be sleeping on the streets."

Another added: "Well done you a lovely gesture, ignore the haters. Let's hope they never fall on hard times."

Stoke-on-Trent City Council housed 933 families and individuals in B&Bs temporarily in 2024/25, a rise from 846 in the previous year.

The Labour-led council spent a total of £1.06million, and while they were able to claim a central government subsidy to offset some of the expense, taxpayers were still left with an £850,317 bill.

In 2024, council leaders backed plans to secure nightly paid accommodation from a new framework agreement, as a more cost-effective alternative to using hotels, reports Stoke-on-TrentLive.

However, the project was put on hold while the authority explored other options that could offer better value for money.

The Government has pledged the number of long-term rough sleepers will be halved in the next five years as well as more households prevented from becoming homeless.

In its long-awaited strategy to tackle the "profound challenge" of homelessness, ministers have set out how they will use £3.5billion of investment including through efforts to help those on the streets and to stop others falling into crisis.

The most recent figures showed there were 2,070 households in England with children at the end of June in this kind of temporary accommodation for longer than the statutory limit of six weeks.

The three pledges, to halve the number of long-term rough sleepers, end the unlawful use of B&Bs for families and prevent more households from becoming homeless in the first place, are all to be achieved by the end of this Parliament in 2029/30.

Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern said: "Right now, taxpayers are paying the price of failure, with temporary accommodation costs skyrocketing.

"The next generation of British young people can’t succeed without the space they need. This strategy sets us on a better path, to save money and change lives."

Homeless support charity Crisis described the strategy as a "step in the right direction with much to be applauded" but said it "does have some important gaps."

The charity’s Chief Executive, Matt Downie, said: "To guarantee that homelessness numbers fall, this strategy needs more from other parts of government that address its root causes.

"Housing benefit remains frozen until at least 2030; there is no coherent approach for supporting refugees and stopping them becoming homeless; and we hear no assurances that the new homes government has pledged to build will be allocated to households experiencing homelessness at the scale required."