The Stroud MP's weekly column.

It was a pleasure to spend time with the charity P3 and Stroud District Council to talk about assertive outreach on rough sleeping. The range of services they run throughout the county is extensive. I thought I knew a lot already, but I had not appreciated exactly how all the pathway steps and official organisations knitted together to give people the best opportunity of maintaining a life off the streets in accommodation.

I have been asked why we do not have a ‘Hub’ that provides support and accommodation in Stroud, i.e. like Cheltenham and Gloucester. Having looked through the details, I can see why there is no need for a Hub here. Further, I am confident that the lack of such a facility does not prevent a successful pathway being achieved for rough sleepers in Stroud.

Other parliamentary events that local people asked me to attend on their behalf in addition to Stroud visits involved talking to people from the National Trust, Crisis, Fairtrade, Community Rehabilitation, the Woodland Trust, Teach the Future and Back to 60.

Please note that the government is following the chief medical officer’s advice about coronavirus, which is still considered a low to moderate risk in the UK. Significant preparations are however understandably still being made to contain and tackle the virus. I know this may be worrying some people so I have included information on my Facebook page and there is a big national communication campaign, including regular bulletins to our schools.

At the time of writing (Sunday March 1), the advice is that the best thing we can do is wash our hands thoroughly and contact 111 if you feel unwell. While other countries with higher numbers of confirmed cases are shutting places/events down, there is currently no need to close things here unless specifically advised.