England delivered more than 200,000 net new homes for the first time in a decade this year, according to the latest figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
A net 217,350 new homes were either built or converted in the past 12 months, up 15% from 2015-16.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets was the most active local authority, delivering a net 4,827 new homes – more than double the 2,394 in the year before.
However, while the overall figures are at a decade high, the number of new homes fell in 37% of local authorities. Blackpool, as the only area with a negative net figure, lost 146 homes.
In a speech this morning, communities secretary Sajid Javid said: “The figures that have been released today show that we have started turning things around. But they are only a small step in the right direction. What we need now is a giant leap.”
He took aim at 70 planning authorities that have not yet adopted a plan to meet local housing needs, adding that 15 of them are “showing particular cause for concern”.
Referring to the government’s plans to intervene in areas where it sees little progress, Javid said: “Those 15 authorities have left me with no choice but to start the formal process of intervention we set out in the white paper.”
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