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Cosham: people, homes and local pressures

14,444 people were counted here in 2021. The figures below describe this ward; wider-area projects and proposals are labelled separately.

Electoral ward · May 2026 · E05002445

BaffinsCentral SouthseaCharles DickensCopnorCoshamDrayton and FarlingtonEastney and CraneswaterFrattonHilseaMiltonNelsonPaulsgroveSt JudeSt Thomas
Electoral wards · May 2026. Police neighbourhoods and parishes are different boundaries.

Homes rented privately

16.3%

21 March 2021 · All households

People aged 65 or over

17.5%

21 March 2021 · All usual residents

People reporting bad or very bad health

5.3%

21 March 2021 · All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised

Households facing two or more deprivation measures

20.4%

21 March 2021 · All households

All Census figures and how they were calculated
Cosham · 2021 Census
MeasureFigureWho or what is counted
People14,444All usual residents. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Homes rented privately16.3%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Homes rented from a council or housing association21.4%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People aged 65 or over17.5%All usual residents. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People reporting bad or very bad health5.3%All usual residents; self-reported, not age-standardised. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People with no qualifications20.5%Residents aged 16 and over. Published Census 2021 ward observation
People with a degree or equivalent27.3%Residents aged 16 and over. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Households facing at least one deprivation measure53.9%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation
Households facing two or more deprivation measures20.4%All households. Published Census 2021 ward observation

Household deprivation covers education, employment, health and housing. One or more and two or more are different measures. Census answers and boundary aggregation carry uncertainty.

Sources and methods →

What stands out in this ward?

Two of the largest differences from portsmouth unitary authority among the Census measures shown here. These describe the population in 2021, not why the differences exist.

Homes rented privately

16.3%

Cosham, compared with 28.6% across portsmouth unitary authority.

12.4 percentage points lower · 2021 · all households.

Homes rented from a council or housing association

21.4%

Cosham, compared with 18% across portsmouth unitary authority.

3.4 percentage points higher · 2021 · all households.

Crime and safety in Cosham

These are crimes with a published approximate location inside the ward. They do not measure every crime or your personal risk.

1,948

Mapped crimes, excluding anti-social behaviour · latest 12 months ending Aug 2026

+0.7%

Change against the previous 12 months

188

Anti-social behaviour reports · counted separately

0112225Sept 2024Aug 2026
See the figures
Monthly mapped crimes in Cosham, excluding anti-social behaviour
PeriodValue
Sept 2024163
Oct 2024160
Nov 2024169
Dec 2024152
Jan 2025157
Feb 2025157
Mar 2025173
Apr 2025147
May 2025173
Jun 2025137
Jul 2025190
Aug 2025156
Sept 2025139
Oct 2025134
Nov 2025136
Dec 2025109
Jan 2026147
Feb 2026134
Mar 2026185
Apr 2026198
May 2026188
Jun 2026201
Jul 2026208
Aug 2026169
Categories and how to read these figures

Mapped police records only; approximate locations; excludes BTP and unmapped offences. ASB is separate. Rates use Census 2021 residents, not current residents, commuters or visitors. Not a measure of personal risk.

134.9 mapped crimes per 1,000 people, using a 21 March 2021 population of 14,444. The population is a dated denominator, not an estimate of the number of people exposed to crime today.

Latest 12 months · categories
CategoryMapped crimes
Violent crime832
Shoplifting366
Public order175
Criminal damage arson133
Other theft131
Vehicle crime72
Drugs55
Burglary48
Bicycle theft42
Robbery35
Other crime24
Possession of weapons21
Theft from the person14
Source, boundary method and downloads →

What could change here?

These are portsmouth unitary authority responses. They are relevant context, not a claim that each service or project operates in this ward.

Weakness · Portsmouth local authority

Too few homes are reaching completion

Portsmouth delivered 308 homes against a requirement of 2,702 in the three-year housing test.

The council’s newer monitoring table reports 316 net homes in 2025/26. Its annual figures differ from the government test and have not been reconciled here. An allocation or masterplan does not by itself create homes.

Evidence and related projects

Homes delivered as a share of the requirement: 11% · HDT 2025 (2022/23–2024/25) · Portsmouth. Delivery fell well short of the government’s three-year requirement. Published measurement; homes include communal-accommodation equivalents, displayed rounded as in the official table. Consequence: Presumption.

Homes delivered over three years: 308 · HDT 2025 (2022/23–2024/25) · Portsmouth. The published delivery test counts 308 homes against a requirement of 2,702. Published measurement; homes include communal-accommodation equivalents, displayed rounded as in the official table. Consequence: Presumption.

Net homes added in council monitoring: 316 · 2025/26 · Portsmouth local authority. The latest council monitoring year is newer than the government’s three-year test. Council monitoring series, not the government Housing Delivery Test. Published annual components differ; no reconciliation is inferred.

Households in temporary accommodation: 608 · 31 March 2026 · Portsmouth. These households did not have settled housing at the end of March. Statutory homelessness administrative data. Quarterly assessment flows and point-in-time temporary accommodation are different measures. The denominator is the published household estimate, not population. National counts are rounded; suppressed cells are not zero.

Children in temporary accommodation: 612 · 31 March 2026 · Portsmouth. Children are affected as well as adults; this is a point-in-time count. Statutory homelessness administrative data. Quarterly assessment flows and point-in-time temporary accommodation are different measures. The denominator is the published household estimate, not population. National counts are rounded; suppressed cells are not zero.

City Centre North — former Tricorn and Sainsbury’s sites →Tipner West →

Threat · Portsmouth local authority

Housing costs leave less for daily life

Average private rent was £1,368 a month in August 2026; the 2025 middle sale price was 7.22 times residents’ full-time annual pay.

The pay comparison concerns individuals, not household mortgage eligibility. It differs from the 6.70 ratio for jobs based here. High costs and low incomes need separate responses.

Evidence and related projects

Average monthly private rent: 1,368 · August 2026 · Portsmouth. Rent is an ongoing household cost, before bills. Average monthly private rent, all property types, ONS Price Index of Private Rents.

House price compared with residents’ annual pay: 7.2 · 2025 · Portsmouth. The middle sale price was 7.22 times the middle full-time resident salary. Median price paid for properties divided by median gross annual full-time employee earnings of residents. This is not a household mortgage multiple, workplace earnings ratio or ratio computed from the monthly house-price index.

House price compared with pay for jobs in the city: 6.7 · 2025 · Portsmouth. This measures jobs located here, including people who commute in. Published ONS median affordability ratio. Median house sale price divided by median gross annual full-time employee earnings of people working in the area. This differs from residence-based earnings and is not a household mortgage multiple. Use the annual published ratio, not a mix of differently dated house prices and earnings.

Children in low-income families after housing costs: 31% · FYE 2025 · Portsmouth. About three in ten children were below the relative low-income threshold. Children aged under 16 in relative low-income families; income below 60% of the contemporary median. DWP calibrates to HBAI. Disclosure control means ward totals may not equal city totals. FYE 2025 rates use mid-2024 population denominators; the tables use May 2024 ward boundaries. BHC and AHC are distinct measures. Historical values in this release have been revised.

Households in fuel poverty: 10.9% · 2024 · Portsmouth. These households meet the official low-income and poor-energy-efficiency definition. Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) measure. Modelled official statistics in development; suitable for broad comparisons, not detailed year-to-year trends. Local figures are 2024 estimates, not national 2025 projections.

City Centre North — former Tricorn and Sainsbury’s sites →

Weakness · Portsmouth local authority

Shared housing needs clearer quality measures

The combined register has 3,125 records; 3,107 are in licensed categories.

Rooms can help people find somewhere to live. Register size alone cannot tell us whether homes are safe or complaints are resolved. Repeated addresses also prevent treating every record as a different home.

Evidence and related projects

Records on the combined shared-housing register: 3,125 · council combined HMO register, September 2026 · Portsmouth. The 3,125 records include 3,107 in licensed categories. Repeated addresses mean records are not unique homes. Records on the council's combined HMO register (3,107 in licensed categories). Portsmouth local authority.

Projects affecting this area

No project has yet been verified against this ward’s boundary. See the wider-area project register; each project states its location.

Practical help and responsible organisations →