News / Goram Homes
B Corp status for council-owned housing company
Bristol City Council-owned housing company Goram Homes has become the one of the latest businesses to win B Corp Certification in the city.
The company, which was established in a bid to help address the critical shortage of council homes and affordable housing, has plans to build around 3,000 new homes in the coming years.
It has become one of only a handful of UK developers to meet the stringent social and environmental standards required to gain B Corp certification.
Stephen Baker, managing director of Goram Homes, said: “Becoming a B Corp is testament to our talented and passionate team, who want to create sustainable homes and communities that people love to live in.”
The on-site skills academy has already trained more than 260 people who are either unemployed or earning less than the minimum wage
Baker continued: “The B Corp status recognises the part we’re playing in tackling the housing crisis by building affordable homes in the high numbers really needed in this city. As well as our commitment to building beautifully designed, net zero homes that exceed standards for biodiversity and improve nature wherever we build.
“Our focus now is to continue to improve as a business, stick to our values, and do good for our people, our partners, and our planet.”
Goram Homes has an on-site skills academy, which has already trained more than 260 people who are either unemployed or earning less than the minimum wage, helping to kickstart careers in construction.
Goram Homes plans to build around 3,000 new homes for Bristol in the coming years
The 2024/25 Business Plan was approved this week by Bristol City Council’s cabinet and highlights the five sites it aims to be building on in 2024/25. Around half the homes it will build will be for council-owned housing – a mix of social rent and shared ownership homes.
Goram Homes joins around 1,600 other for-profit, mission-driven organisations in the UK, that are committed to using their business for social and environmental good.
Tom Renhard, Labour’s cabinet member for housing delivery and homelessness, said: “I’m incredibly proud that our housing company has been recognised for its purpose-led ethos and its commitment to sustainable, council owned affordable homes. The team is committed to creating communities where people and nature can thrive and becoming a B Corp is proof of that.
“Goram Homes’ first homes added to the more than 12,500 new homes already built in Bristol between 2016 and 2023. Their pipeline of around 3,000 new homes, on brownfield sites, will help continue to tackle the housing crisis and build a city where nobody is left behind.”
All photos: Goram Homes
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