A new scheme has been launched to provide more information and better services to residents as part of a bid to combat antisocial activity in the city.

Hello Gloucester aims to connect groups, keep residents informed about what’s going on in their area and advise them on who they can contact if they need help.

The scheme is a 10 year partnership between six key bodies including Gloucester City Council, Gloucester City Homes, Gloucestershire Police, Greensquare Housing Group and Project Solace.

A bespoke Hello Gloucester van will be the face of the partnership and will appear across the city staffed by a variety of teams who can give advice to residents on health, housing, activities and events, crime prevention and much more.

According to police.uk, where crime figures are collated and published, there was 170 incidents of antisocial behaviour reported in Gloucester city centre in August, the latest data available.

That was down from 190 in the same period last year.

Police Inspector Tim Wood said: “A criticism people sometimes have when it comes to the way the authorities tackle antisocial behaviour is that they are disjointed and slow to react.

“The van will empower people and give them all the relevant information on who can offer support no matter the situation they face, and it will also be used to respond to incidents in real time, hopefully nipping incidents in the bud before they escalate.

“We hope it shows people that there is plenty of help available in the community and that the agencies understand the impact issues like antisocial behaviour can have on people.”

The vehicle will be ready to deploy for any event including regular patrols.

In the event of a big incident in the city, such as a major crime or flood, the police and council will use the van as a community beacon for reassurance and information.

The van will be used by the partnership at community events, public consultations, meet the people events.

Second year graphic design students from the University of Gloucestershire designed the outer wrap for the van.

Councillor Jennie Dallimore, deputy leader of Gloucester City Council, said: “The Hello Gloucester bus is an excellent example of sharing resources to benefit the communities of Gloucester.

“Each partner will be able to use the bus for their own engagement exercises but also use it together on joint initiatives.

“We really hope that residents will be happy to visit the bus in the coming months as it visits various parts of the city, to talk to us, gain advice and information about a variety of projects and tell us how they feel.”

Details of where it plans to be each week will be listed on the Hello Gloucester Facebook and Twitter pages.