The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on house building, the government has said.
In a report published earlier this month the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said 127,580 homes were started in the year to December 2020, which was a 16% drop on 2019, and nearly 25% down on 2018. The figure was the lowest seen for seven years. Housing completions also fell 17% to 148,620, from 178,300 in 2019. The biggest regional fall in completions was the South-East which was down 24%. Of the homes that were built, 78% were for private use, 21% for housing associations, and the balance were by local authorities.
But the industry saw an increase in activity towards the end of 2020 as completions in Q4 hit 46,950, their highest quarterly level since 2007. The government has a target of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said the figures show a “steady increase in the number of new housing starts and the number of new homes built, highlighting a sustained period of growth in the housing sector as it continues its recovery.”
