Emergency accommodation will now be provided for homeless people in Cirencester.

Members of Cotswold District Council’s cabinet have agreed to provide the accommodation for homeless people who require a safe and temporary refuge within the district.

At a council meeting on Monday, December 3, the cabinet approved an expenditure of £35,000 to refurbish a seven-bedroom property in the town which is already owned by the council.

Until recently the property was let to a housing association and used as single room accommodation with shared facilities.

The property also has an office and this will be used as work space for advisors to help meet the support needs of the temporary residents and assist them in moving to settled accommodation.

Council cabinet member for homelessness Cllr Stephen Hirst welcomed the decision to create the new emergency accommodation within the district.

He said: “We are committed to the prevention of homelessness in the Cotswolds, but there are occasions when this is not always achievable.

"We currently have very limited access to suitable emergency accommodation when the need arises, and we have had to resort to the use of motel rooms outside the district to fill this void.

“This has meant that homeless people from the Cotswolds have struggled to maintain local connections and good access to support networks, and they have often had no cooking facilities, causing additional stress for them at a time when they were already at a low ebb.

"It has also been more difficult to work with them to find suitable settled accommodation.

“Being able to invest in the provision of good emergency accommodation in Cirencester is great news.

"This is a game changer for local homeless people and should expedite moving them into suitable homes.

"The new accommodation will also prove to be a much cheaper option than motel rooms.”