01.08.14
Public sector housing registrations fall 11% in Q2 – NHBC
The number of new homes registered by the public sector in the last quarter decreased by 11% compared to last year, according to new figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC).
During the period under review, registrations by local authorities and housing associations in the period April-June fell to 9,331 – down from 10,474 in 2013.
In contrast, private sector registrations increased by 9%, compared to same period last year, driving up the overall number of new homes registered across the UK in Q2 to 36,858 – a 3% increase on last year’s 35,683 figure.
The drop in public sector registrations, however, coincides with first phase of the government's Affordable Housing Programme coming to an end in 2015, according to the NHBC.
Commenting on the latest statistics, NHBC's chief executive Mike Quinton said: “Our figures also show that there has been a noticeable growth in the private sector. As expected, this has coincided with a drop in affordable housing registrations.
“This decrease in public sector registrations can be attributed, in part, to the first phase of the government's Affordable Housing Programme coming to an end. We anticipate that the public sector will pick up again as funding is fully allocated for the next phase from 2015 to 2018.”
Earlier this week, housing and planning minister Brandon Lewis launched a £3 million fund to try to get work started on up to 85 new housing sites where development has been agreed.
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