Tens of thousands of pounds will be spent researching people living on "the margins of society" in and around Glastonbury.

Mendip District Council created the Glastonbury Living Spaces Panel after the local elections in May 2019, to look at how both public and privately owned land could be used to meet demand for local accommodation.

The council has now committed more than £32,000 towards a new study which will assess the housing needs of people living at the roadside or in other vulnerable locations around the town.

The study will be published in the spring, after which the panel will put its recommendations into practice.

The project will be delivered by Smart Communities, part of the Taunton-based Community Council for Somerset (CCS).

Of the £32,167 being committed to the project, £14,000 will come directly from central government and £18,167 from council funding earmarked for tackling homelessness.

The funding was announced ahead of a meeting of the council's cabinet in Shepton Mallet on Monday evening (January 6).

Jai Vick, the council's group manager for housing services, said the research was urgently needed in light of the cold weather and difficult living conditions facing many of those affected.

She said in her report: "The aim of this research is to understand the needs and wishes of the people living on the roadside in Glastonbury.

"It is intended to inform the Glastonbury Living Spaces Board about potential action and options that could be taken to address the amount of people living on the roadside – some of whom are living in unsuitable conditions which pose a risk to their health, particularly during periods of severe weather.

"We are concerned about the health, safety and welfare of these individuals."

Ms Vick said there had been "a number of recent incidents" involving "the van-dwelling community" which had necessitated the police or fire service being called – including one instance of a van being set on fire.

She added: "These incidents not only pose a risk to life to individuals within the van-dwelling community itself, but to the wider community."

A total of 82 individuals were estimated to be living on the roadside in Glastonbury in October 2019, according to the CCS.

The organisation believes this number has "increased significantly" since 2015, with people living in either vans, tents or caravans.

The study will take around three months to complete, and will comprise at least 70 interviews with people living at the roadside, covering everything from their mental health and alcohol intake to their interaction with local services.

A provisional update will be given to the living spaces board on February 11, with the full report following in March or April.

Councillor Richard Pinnock, portfolio holder for housing, said he hoped the project would provide answers for both the local community and others across the UK.

He said: "I hope that the research findings shed some light on this issue, which seems to be increasing and involving a growing number of people on the margins of society.

"Central government should also be able to make use of the information, as there must be other areas where communities are asking the same questions."