Official figures released on 11th June 2015 by the Valuation Office Agency have shown that the government has provided almost 800,000 new homes since 2009.
The statistics show how many properties there are in England that are covered by a Council Tax band, and this highlighted an increase of 795,000 new homes. Between March 2014 and March 2015 alone there was an increase of 173,000 homes.
Greg Clark, Communities Secretary said:
“Our radically reformed planning system has put power in the hands of local communities, helping over 200,000 households onto the property ladder through government-backed schemes. Whilst our efforts to cut the deficit have helped keep interest rates at their record low making mortgages more affordableâ€
He goes on to say:
“…our efforts have got the country building again, with almost 800,000 additional homes delivered since the end of 2009â€
A separate set of statistics released on the 16th June 2015 have highlighted that since April 2010, more than 260,000 affordable homes have been delivered, further increasing confidence that the housing crisis is steadily improving.
The figures, which show nearly 60,000 affordable homes were delivered last year alone (a 63% rise on the previous year), go on to highlight that the 2011 to 2015 Affordable Homes Programme has exceeded expectations. Since 2011, the programme has delivered almost 186,000 which is 16,000 more than originally planned.
Overall, 263,000 affordable homes have been delivered since April 2010, providing a much needed boost to families across the country.
Some of the council areas that have seen the biggest numbers of affordable housing delivered since 2010 include, Cornwall – 3,750, Birmingham – 3,460 and Wiltshire – 3,420. Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester have also had large numbers of affordable homes delivered, with 2,360, 2,270 and 2,160 homes respectively.
Housing Minister, Brandon Lewis says:
“Our affordable housebuilding efforts are exceeding our ambitions and delivering more than 260,000 affordable homes. It’s a boost to families across the country, providing them with new quality homes that are available at an affordable rent or to buy through our shared ownership schemeâ€
Despite the positive figures, Mr Lewis has his mind set on delivering a further 275,000 affordable homes over the same time period, and explains:
“This is real progress, but we know there is more to do. That’s why £38 billion of public and private investment will be made available over the next 5 years to deliver 275,000 extra affordable homes – the fastest rate of delivery for 20 years.â€
As well as these two positive signs of a slowly improving housing crisis, the government has also seen housing construction orders almost double since 2009, the number of empty homes across England at the lowest rate since records began and a 7 year high for the number of first time buyers.
BT Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16.06.15