Completed affordable homes at highest level in a decade in England

More affordable homes are being built in England, according to new figures from Homes England.

The national housing agency has revealed that 45,692 new homes were started on sites managed by it between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2019 with 40,289 completed.

This is the highest number of starts on affordable homes for nine years and the highest level of completed affordable homes for four years.

Almost a quarter of the homes (11.560) were for schemes such as Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy, up a quarter (24 percent) on the previous 12 months.

Nick Walkley, chief executive of Homes England, said: "At a time where the average house costs around eight times the average income, these are positive signs that the delivery of homes, and particularly affordable homes, is on the up.

"However, there is still a huge amount of work to do to make sure this trend continues."

Housing Minister Kit Malthouse added: "It's great to see our housing accelerator has their foot firmly on the gas. Getting these properties built is all part of our cast-iron commitment to making sure everyone has the opportunity to realise the dream of a stable home."