strength
Connect research to local enterprise
The Innovation Village has outline permission and a university partner.
Proposed response: Use its next phase to make opportunities accessible to local firms.
What could help →Cotswold, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Cotswold
Cotswold local authority area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £1,252 a month (August 2026) in Cotswold council area. This is £207 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.6% in Tetbury Town to 30.7% in St Michael's — a gap of 22.1 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
3.8% of people reported bad or very bad health in Cotswold council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.5% in The Rissingtons to 5.7% in Watermoor — a gap of 4.1 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
39.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Cotswold council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.4% in The Rissingtons to 21.2% in Moreton West — a gap of 12.8 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Reduce avoidable travel for sport
Fairford clubs report travelling elsewhere for suitable pitches.
Proposed response: Confirm local access arrangements for the proposed school pitch.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Keep a historic hall useful
Redesdale Hall has funding to address roof defects.
Proposed response: Protect regular users during repairs and reopen dependable space.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
26.1% of people in Cotswold council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.3% in The Rissingtons to 36.5% in Stow — a gap of 23.2 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 6% in Ermin to 19.5% in Watermoor — a gap of 13.5 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Do not turn outline permission into promised jobs
Innovation Village still needs detailed plans and investor commitments.
Proposed response: Publish phased decisions before presenting benefits as delivered.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Connect research to local enterpriseRoyal Agricultural University Innovation Village: Outline permission; detailed plans and investment work | Cotswold District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Reduce avoidable travel for sportFarmor’s School all-weather pitch: Funding approved | Cotswold District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Keep a historic hall usefulRedesdale Hall roof repairs: Funding approved | Cotswold District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Do not turn outline permission into promised jobsRoyal Agricultural University Innovation Village: Outline permission; detailed plans and investment work | Cotswold District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,252 a month (August 2026) in Cotswold council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.6% in Tetbury Town to 30.7% in St Michael's — a gap of 22.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population26.1% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.3% in The Rissingtons to 36.5% in Stow — a gap of 23.2 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health3.8% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 1.5% in The Rissingtons to 5.7% in Watermoor — a gap of 4.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities39.8% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.4% in The Rissingtons to 21.2% in Moreton West — a gap of 12.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 6% in Ermin to 19.5% in Watermoor — a gap of 13.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 32 of 32 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |