National housing statistics reveal industry recovery

Housing programmes delivered by Homes England saw an overall increase in starts and completions in the first half of 2021-22 compared to the previous year, according to official statistics.

Homes England programmes are funded by central government to enable private registered providers, house builders, community groups and local authorities to deliver affordable housing.

Peter Denton, chief executive at Homes England, said: “The statistics released today show positive signs that housebuilding is beginning to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Despite the pressures still faced by the industry, it’s clear that our partners are working incredibly hard to build the new homes the country needs.

“As the new Affordable Homes Programme swings into action, we look forward to working with ambitious housebuilders of all shapes and sizes, to help them realise their development ambitions and support the Government’s housing objectives.”

There were 13,229 new homes started on-site and 14,289 homes completed through programmes managed by Homes England between 1 April and 30 September 2021. The number of affordable homes started was 9,255 (70 per cent), a decrease of 7 per cent on the same period last year.

The number of affordable starts was the lowest since 2017-18 and can be attributed to the closure of bidding for the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP) 2016-21 in March 2021.