Housing strategy seeks to tackle housing affordability crisis
Residents are being asked for their views on Cotswold District Council’s Housing Strategy which seeks to help everyone across the district access affordable housing that meets their needs.
The strategy outlines priorities and actions to increase opportunities for local people to access high quality affordable housing.
The Council is running a six-week consultation to gather residents’ views of the housing in the district and understand its residents' housing challenges and priorities.
The feedback from the consultation will be used to shape and focus the Council’s work with partner organisations and registered housing providers, as well as landowners, developers and community-led organisations. It will also support bids for any additional funding. Ultimately, it will help to ensure our priorities are focused on the important issues and ensure residents have greater access to affordable housing in the future.
Residents can take part in the consultation here. The consultation will be open from 10 January to 21 February.
Cllr Joe Harris, Leader of the Council and portfolio holder for Housing, said: “The affordable housing crisis we are facing across the country is appalling, especially in the Cotswold District as the second most expensive place to buy a house in the South West of England.
“Average house prices in the Cotswolds are fourteen times more than the average salary which is shocking and makes it impossible for young people to get on the housing ladder.
“We want to hear the views of everyone in the district, so that we can focus on what our residents need and how we can support them as part of our commitment to delivering the right homes for our residents.”
Cotswold District Council have shown their commitment to delivering affordable homes by building 1,972 affordable homes since 2011 alone and during that same period the Council has delivered 125% of its average housing target.
The new Housing Strategy will build on the innovative approach to exploring how the council can build more affordable housing announced by the Council in December.