Private housebuilding set to halve, warns former Treasury economist

Private housebuilding in England is set to fall to its lowest level since the financial crisis, according to research by a former government housing economist. The report, by former Treasury economist Chris Walker in collaboration with Liverpool University, found that the number of homes due to be completed next year would fall to 151,000 from 249,100 last year. In the private sector the number of homes being started is predicted to fall by almost half from 144,000 last year to 70,400 – the lowest since the 2008 financial crash. The report, which has been endorsed by former levelling up secretary Simon Clarke, blames the lack of a national housing strategy for a large part of the decline. In particular, it highlighted Michael Gove’s decision last December to drop mandatory housebuilding targets for councils and introduce an array of planning restrictions. The Times (£)