Moving to Cheltenham (part 3)

After much negotiation between central Government departments, by September 1949 it had been agreed that GCHQ should move to Cheltenham.

The decision and the 'advance party', 1949-1950

The most difficult issue was the provision of housing, which was in very short supply and centrally rationed. Cheltenham already had a long housing waiting list.

Although the town was expected to welcome the extra employment opportunities afforded by the arrival of a Civil Service department, all the new houses needed by GCHQ staff would have to be built without interfering with the local housing market. The Treasury agreed to find extra funds to enable the town to employ national building firms, and to import labour from all over the country.

An advance party was sent to Cheltenham almost immediately, taking over a number of local staff from the Ministry of Pensions on 13 February 1950 as that Ministry closed down its Cheltenham operations.

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