Contactless donation points unveiled by London Mayor

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says the new payment points will encourage people to "do their part"

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched contactless donation points to help charities combat homelessness.

The 35 terminals, run by not-for-profit TAP London, which take £3 donations by card were unveiled earlier.

Locations include a West End theatre, a cinema in Mayfair, a coffee kiosk in Canary Wharf and several Waterloo bars.

Mr Khan said money raised via the scheme - which will install at least 90 terminals around the capital - would be shared among 22 London charities.

The government provided London with £11m of funding to tackle rough sleeping in 2018/19, a minister said.

Polly Gilbert, co-founder of TAP London, said the payment points were a response to the fact that "many of us just don't carry change anymore".

A total of 3,103 rough sleepers were found in the capital between July and September 2018, the highest figure since records began.

The number of rough sleepers recorded in London breached 3,000 for the first time earlier this year

Donations will be equally shared between 22 homelessness charities working in the capital

Mr Khan said: "These new contactless donation points will make a big difference in encouraging Londoners to do their part to help."

The mayor said his winter campaign will also see his outreach team double in size.

"Ultimately, we need the government to wake up and stop ignoring the fact their cuts to welfare and support services are pushing more people onto the street," he added.

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Homelessness minister Heather Wheeler said: "We have set out bold plans backed by £100m to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027, as part of a £1.2bn investment in tackling all forms of homelessness."

"We are also working closely with London boroughs and the Greater London Authority and are providing them with £23.3m through our Rough Sleeping Initiative," she added.

"With this funding, we are looking to them to deliver critical support to get people off the streets."