This week I met with the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness and made a pledge to tackle loneliness in Sunderland Central -; an issue that affects a great many people.

Jo set up the Commission before she was murdered in June last year. It is now continuing her legacy by raising awareness about loneliness, as well as working to reduce the stigma of being lonely.

One in five people always, or often, feel lonely -; according to a British Red Cross Survey. But being lonely isn’t just a feeling; it’s considered to be as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.