THE average price of a home in Gloucestershire is nearly £261,000 – almost 10 times the average salary.

With wages below national average, high levels of rural unemployment, a shortage of affordable properties, and increasing food and energy prices, many people struggle to buy their own home.

Those who have no other choice but to rent privately are faced with a large proportion of their salary going on rent.

The National Housing Federation has just published its annual ‘Home Truths’ report for 2016/17, which looks at housing demand, supply and affordability across the country.

Its spotlight on the South-West reveals that there are fewer than 30,000 ‘affordable’ homes available to rent through a housing association or local authority, yet there are long waiting lists and almost 16,000 people are queuing up to rent them when they become empty.

Last week the seven organisations which make up Gloucestershire Homes and Communities Partnership were joined by nearly 100 representatives of other county organisations with an interest in housing, to find solutions to the shortage in the longer-term.

Meanwhile, Two Rivers Housing are currently developing more than 200 new flats, bungalows and houses on sites at Newent (77), Bream (13) and Churcham (seven).

They encompass a range of tenures including affordable rent, market rent, shared ownership and private sale.

“There is no doubt Gloucestershire is in the midst of a housing crisis,” said Garry King, chief executive of Two Rivers Housing association.

“It is unrealistic to think everyone is in a position to buy their own home when there is such clear evidence of the mis-match between income, house prices and borrowing capacity.

“This has a particularly devastating effect on young families, and it has a negative impact on the many rural areas that typify our county and which rely on a buoyant and mixed community to keep its schools, health services, shops and other amenities prosperous.

“The social housing sector is under increasing pressure to provide enough affordable homes for rent to meet the growing demand. We are building as many homes as we can in an effort to bridge that gap, to house the people who need a low-cost option for putting a roof over their heads and to help keep our communities alive.”