strength
Build on the Lido’s return to use
Safety repairs enabled a verified August reopening.
Proposed response: Use the season’s experience to plan reliable future operation.
What could help →Stroud, in numbers
Issues and SWOT: Stroud
Stroud 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 £1,041 a month (August 2026) in Stroud council area. This is £418 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.9% in Cam East to 36% in Stroud Central — a gap of 28.1 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
4.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Stroud council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.6% in Kingswood to 5.5% in Cam West — a gap of 2.9 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
38.7% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Stroud council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.4% in Amberley and Woodchester to 19.1% in Stonehouse — a gap of 10.6 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
Keep canal routes usable during works
Missing Mile construction has required a footpath closure and diversion.
Proposed response: Give clear alternatives and check their accessibility.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Let local people shape Canalside
Stonehouse’s transfer proposal supports community-led use.
Proposed response: Agree responsibilities and resources before transfer.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
23.3% of people in Stroud council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.9% in Hardwicke to 32.9% in Amberley and Woodchester — a gap of 18 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 7.7% in Kingswood to 18.9% in Stroud Slade — a gap of 11.2 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
Manage the difficult canal crossing carefully
The Missing Mile involves river diversion and work beneath the M5.
Proposed response: Check engineering, environmental and flood safeguards at each stage.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Build on the Lido’s return to useStratford Park Lido repairs and reopening: Reopened August 2026; seasonal operation | Stroud District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Keep canal routes usable during worksMissing Mile canal connection: Construction underway | Stroud District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Let local people shape CanalsideStonehouse Canalside community transfer: Transfer principle approved; checks and agreements outstanding | Stroud District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Manage the difficult canal crossing carefullyMissing Mile canal connection: Construction underway | Stroud District Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £1,041 a month (August 2026) in Stroud council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.9% in Cam East to 36% in Stroud Central — a gap of 28.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 27 of 27 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 population23.3% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.9% in Hardwicke to 32.9% in Amberley and Woodchester — a gap of 18 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 27 of 27 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 health4.2% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 2.6% in Kingswood to 5.5% in Cam West — a gap of 2.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 27 of 27 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 opportunities38.7% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 8.4% in Amberley and Woodchester to 19.1% in Stonehouse — a gap of 10.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 27 of 27 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 7.7% in Kingswood to 18.9% in Stroud Slade — a gap of 11.2 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 27 of 27 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services |