The numbers of affordable homes being built are growing at their fastest rate since 1993, new figures this week show.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said this was further proof of the government’s commitment to get more homes built while boosting the construction industry.

The latest figures show 66,640 new affordable homes were delivered in the last year – 55% higher than the previous year.

It meant the numbers of social and affordable rented homes increased by nearly two-thirds, and the number of affordable homes to buy rose by 41% over the same time period.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said: “Today’s figures show how far we’ve come to get the country building, bringing the industry back from the brink to deliver the highest annual increase in affordable housebuilding for over 2 decades.

“But we are far from complacent and the doubling of government investment in housebuilding announced at the recent Spending Review reaffirms our commitment to deliver a million new homes by 2020.

“Affordable homes to rent and buy are a key part of that, helping to give young people and families across the country the best possible start in life.”

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “Our housebuilding efforts are paying off and can be seen by this considerable increase in the number of affordable homes built in just one year.

“This is real progress but there is more to do. That’s why we are going further and increasing our investment in these homes to ensure many more hard-working people can benefit.”

Building more affordable homes

Housebuilding is a key part of the government’s long-term economic plan.

Today’s figures mean that over 270,000 new affordable homes have been delivered since 2010.

At the