New housing starts in the UK this year fell 23% to 134,570 compared to 12 months ago, underscoring the new government's agenda to push housebuilding to levels not seen since the late 1960s. .
The number of new homes completed in the same period fell by 9.4% to 158,420, according to provisional data from the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government. 
The number of new housing starts in the second quarter of this year decreased by 10.7% from the same period last year to 44,550 units, and the number of completed units in the second quarter decreased by 65% to 25,510 units.
The data shows the scale of the New Labor government's mandate to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years, at a rate of 300,000 a year. In the past five years, the UK has built around one million homes.
According to official data, the last time the UK built more than 300,000 homes was in 1969/70, when 306,860 homes were built.
Speaking at this week's Labor Party conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing Angela Ryder said: Year after year, the Conservatives missed their targets. Michael Gove has returned nearly £2bn of unspent housing funds to the Treasury.
She added: “Mortgage prices have skyrocketed, leaving leaseholders at the mercy of eye-watering rates. Renters in damp, moldy homes are facing devastating rent increases. ”
The government is expected to publish an updated national planning policy framework document by the end of the year, raising housing targets and making them mandatory for local councils.
This includes development on green belt and 'gray belt' land, which the government classifies as 'low quality' or abandoned areas of the green belt.
But a planning reform working report released this week reiterated that “brownfields should be the first port of call for development”.
