Housing starts on site have climbed to 16,955 this year, while completions dropped back, Homes England has revealed.
The figures for government house building in England, excluding London, showed starts on site growing seven per cent in the six months to 31 September 2019 compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, housing completions fell by seven per cent to 14,792 for the same months.
The Homes England figures reflected activity in schemes such as the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme, Build to Rent and the Affordable Homes Programme.
Of the starts on site, 12,310, or 73 per cent, were affordable homes, a rise of 24 per cent on the previous year.
However, affordable home completions dropped seven per cent to 10,295.
The drop resulted from “delivery, at certain points of a programme cycle, of different and overlapping funding streams,” Homes England said.
By region, the largest proportion of affordable starts on site was in the South East, at 35 per cent, followed by the North East, Yorkshire and The Humber at 18 per cent, then both at 16 per cent, the Midlands and the North West, and with 15 per cent, the South West.
The South East was also highest for affordable completions, at 26 per cent, followed by the South West, at 24 per cent, the Midlands, with 20 per cent, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber 17 per cent and the North West, 13 per cent.
