Collapse in affordable housing starts

The delivery of new affordable housing has crashed, according to figures from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), with only 454 starts during the six months to September 2011 – 97 per cent fewer than the previous six months.

During the period 1 April to 30 September 2011, only 259 social rented homes and 195 low cost home ownership properties got started on sites in England, and most of these – 70 per cent – were in the Midlands.

In the previous six months, October 2010 to March 2011, the HCA figures show that there were 26,330 starts for social rented properties, 8,519 low cost home ownership properties.

Meanwhile, in the period 1 April to 30 September 2011, the HCA said that there were 12,803 affordable homes completed. Of these, 9.035 were for social rent, 520 were intermediate rent, and 3,248 were for low cost home ownership.