These dreadfully disappointing figures show that the number of new homes being built has fallen on Theresa May's watch - Healey

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, responding to new official figures showing a fall in the number of new homes being built, said:

“Theresa May has made housing her ‘personal mission’ yet these dreadfully disappointing figures show that the number of new homes being built has fallen on her watch.

“We are now well on our way to a lost decade of low housebuilding under the Conservatives, with housebuilding still far lower than under Labour almost 10 years on from the depths of the global financial crisis.

“These problems are of the Government’s own making: huge cuts to housing investment and piecemeal planning changes have put a brake on new housing development including desperately needed affordable homes.

“The next Labour government will build a million new low-cost homes to rent and buy for hard pressed families.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• ·         The Government’s official quarterly housebuilding statistics released today show that housebuilding starts fell from 163,000 homes in 2016-17 to 157,480 homes in 2017-18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/house-building-new-build-dwellings-england-january-to-march-2018

• ·         Theresa May has said “I have made it my mission to build the homes the country needs” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-we-must-get-back-to-building-the-homes-this-country-needs