Gloucester City Homes has revealed the results of its Customer Annual Report, with improvements in everything from energy efficiency to repair satisfaction demonstrating its commitment to the community in Gloucester.
With around 5,300 people waiting for a home in Gloucester, the housing association is proud to have welcomed 336 households into their new homes, and provided 155 supported housing places for people facing homelessness in 2025-26.
And it is living up to its commitment of investing in affordable homes in Gloucester, both through building new homes and investing millions in improving its existing properties.
Over the last 12 months, GCH has replaced 15 roofs, 24 windows, and 195 doors, installed 48 new bathrooms and 78 new kitchens, and made significant improvements to energy efficiency throughout its existing property portfolio.
After securing funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, GCH has invested £2.8 million on improving insulation, heating systems, and installing solar panels in the last year, improving the energy efficiency of 328 of its properties to EPC C or above last year, with the goal of ensuring all of its homes have an EPC rating of C or above by 2030.
It is working hard to improve accessibility, making 83 adaptations to aid mobility and independence to keep people living comfortably and safely in their homes.
It has also improved its repairs service, too. By introducing video calling to diagnose faults, and employing two additional multi-trade operatives and a Property Care Team apprentice, GCH has reduced its repairs backlog by 587 jobs and achieved a 91 per cent 'right-first-time' fix rate.
Alongside investing in its existing properties, GCH is building new homes in Gloucester to meet the city's growing housing needs and help more people find a safe and affordable home – with a total of 31 new homes built last year.
GCH CEO Guy Stenson told SoGlos that it's now building bigger houses, including some five-bedroom properties, in response to the demand for bigger homes in the city.
Its new properties also benefit from energy efficiency measures such as heat pumps and solar panels, to keep running costs down, while a third of its new homes have features like step-free access, wider doorways, and accessible bathrooms – with the income from these new homes being reinvested into affordable housing in Gloucester.
And as well as supporting its own tenants to live well, GCH invests in the wider community, too, with some of the projects it supported last year including the Westgate Community Pantry, funding a new polytunnel at a primary school in Kingsholm through Project Grow's community food initiative, installing a defibrillator at Badger Vale, and providing low or no-cost spaces for community hubs.
To see the full report, visit gch.co.uk/customer-annual-report-2025-26-out-now.
GCH is also currently recruiting for two new board members – to find out more, and to apply, visit gch.co.uk/jobs.
