Affordable housing supply numbers drop, statistics show

The Department for Communities and Local Government has published its annual statistics (17-page / 340KB PDF) on affordable housing supply in England. The figures show that the number of affordable homes supplied in the country in 2011-12 was 57,950; a 4% decrease on the 60,430 affordable homes supplied in 2010-11.

The number of homes provided through intermediate housing schemes in 2011-12, including shared ownership and shared equity, dropped by 10% to 19,490 from the year before.

Of the new affordable homes supplied in 2011-12, 37,540 were made available for social rent. This figure had decreased 3% from 2010-11. The affordable rent scheme was run for the first time in 2011-12 and provided 930 affordable homes for rent.

The number of new build affordable homes was 52,880, which made up 91% of all affordable homes supplied, which was the highest proportion reported since before 1991-92. It was also an increase on 88% of total supply in the year before.

The Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration delivery agency which funds new affordable housing, provided funding to 88% of all affordable homes in 2011-12. The previous year's figure was 92%. Around 92% of the homes that received funding were new build homes.

The affordable housing statistics were published alongside the Government's annual statistics for net supply of housing (15-page / 224KB PDF). These showed that 134,900 net additional dwellings were supplied in England in 2011-12, an 11% increase from the year before. The additional homes comprised 128,160 new build homes, 5,240 additional homes resulting from conversions, 12,590 additional homes resulting from change of use, 1,100 other gains and a loss of 12,200 homes through demolitions.