Social housing starts down 70%

The number of social housing starts was down by over 70% in June on the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC).

The figures (see here) show the number of social homes registered with the NHBC in June dropped to 1,643, compared to 5,536 a year earlier, and show private starts are also much lower than in June 2011.

The social housing starts figures was also a drop on the 2,448 registration recorded in May and is yet more evidence of the hiatus in social housebuilding caused by the government’s change to a new method of funding social housing.

The number of private starts, at 6,685, was slightly down on the figure in May, but was a drop of 25% on the figure in June 2011.

In total registrations for June were down 43% on the same month in 2011.

Richard Tamayo, commercial director at the NHBC, said: “As the year progresses we must hope to see a rebound in social housing numbers as providers adapt to new methods of funding. Hopefully June private registrations in 2012 will, in hindsight, prove to be a statistical blip in what will otherwise be a period of sustained, if modest volume growth throughout the year.”

“These concerns have not disappeared and will continue to be concerns especially in light of the HSE’s funding cutbacks and continuing reduction in enforcement activity,” the union said.