The Gloucestershire Homes and Communities Partnership (GHCP) has delivered 727 new affordable homes across the county during the 2024/25 financial year, a significant step in meeting Gloucestershire’s housing needs. The new homes demonstrate the partnership’s continued commitment to providing safe, secure, and genuinely affordable housing for people in Gloucestershire.
Local households continue to face significant barriers to home ownership, with average property prices in Gloucester City reaching around £232,000 in 2025, a 13 percent increase over the past decade¹. While wages have risen during the same period, they have not kept pace with house prices in many areas across Gloucestershire². In parts of the county, property values are now between seven and ten times higher than average annual incomes³. For example, the median house price-to-earnings ratio stands at 7.3 in Gloucester City and rises to 10.8 in the Cotswolds³. This widening gap between incomes and house prices continues to place pressure on residents seeking secure and affordable homes.
That context reinforces the importance of the Gloucestershire Homes and Communities Partnership’s work. By delivering 727 affordable homes, primarily social and affordable rent tenures, GHCP is supporting efforts to meet this need by providing homes at lower, more affordable rents, enabling more people to access secure, affordable homes.
Through close collaboration, the partnership has collectively built 727 new homes across Gloucestershire, an investment of £150 million, helping to meet growing demand and offering more people the option to live in safe, secure, and affordable housing.
These homes have been delivered at some of the most affordable tenure levels available, predominantly social rent and affordable rent tenures, which are typically set at around 40–80 percent of local private market rents. The new homes have been delivered through a combination of direct development and section 106 agreements, and reflect the partnership’s shared commitment to quality, sustainability and long-term community impact.
Alongside housing delivery, the partnership is also playing a major role in the local economy. New figures show that GHCP members now employ over 1,600 colleagues who live in Gloucestershire, making the social housing sector a major and stable source of employment across Gloucestershire. From housing officers to trades and planners, the sector is helping to create secure roles that contribute to the delivery of local services and community support.
Between them, GHCP partners manage more than 35,000 homes across the county, offering a wide range of housing solutions, including general needs housing, supported accommodation, and homes designed for older people or residents with additional needs.
The Gloucestershire Homes and Communities Partnership continues to work together on shared challenges and opportunities, including net zero, supported housing, customer voice, and the future of housing delivery in both urban and rural parts of the county. With demand for social and affordable housing still rising, the partnership remains focused on building more homes, investing in people, and shaping places where residents feel safe, supported, and proud to live.
Hayley Selway, Chief Executive Officer of Two Rivers Housing and Co-Chair of Gloucestershire Homes and Communities Partnership said:
“This year’s figures reflect the strength of partnership working across the county. By coming together, we’ve been able to deliver hundreds of new affordable homes and provide stable employment to hundreds of Gloucestershire residents. We’re proud of the impact we’ve made, and we know there’s more to do.”
1. ONS (2025) – UK House Price Index: Gloucester City (May 2025)
Average house price in Gloucester: £232,000 in May 2025. This represents a 13% increase from approx. £205,000 in 2015.
Source: ONS Visualisation Tool – Gloucester City
2. ONS ASHE (2024) – Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Median earnings in the South West/Great Britain rose from ~£30,000 in 2015 to ~£37,430 in 2024 (c. +25%). However, house prices in Gloucestershire increased ~72% over the same period, outpacing income growth.
Source: ONS ASHE Bulletin, 2024
3. ONS (2024) – Housing affordability in England and Wales: 2023
Gloucester City’s median house price-to-earnings ratio is 7.3. Cotswolds stands at 10.8. Gloucestershire county average: ~8.5.
Source: ONS Housing Affordability 2024 Dataset
Image from left to right: Keith Gerrard, Director of Communities, Stroud District Council; Mark McEgan, Operations Director, Rooftop Housing Group; Caroline Walker, Director of Housing, Customer and Community Services, Cheltenham Borough Council Housing Services; Ruth Cooke, Chief Executive Officer, GreenSquareAccord; Robert Nettleton, Chief Executive Officer, Bromford; Hayley Selway, Chief Executive Officer, Two Rivers Housing; and Guy Stenson, Chief Executive Officer, Gloucester City Homes.