Housing statistics: quarterly update, December 2017

New Build Housing – Social Sector

Social sector housing consists of local authority and housing association housing, and has accounted for just under a fifth (18%) of all new build homes completed over the 12 months to end June 2017. Social sector figures are collected a quarter ahead of those for the private sector meaning that figures are available up to the end of September 2017. However, to enable easier understanding of how each sector contributes to the all sector totals described previously, figures are also presented for the same time period to end June (although quarterly charts include the latest quarter's data).

The more up-to-date figures for the social sector are presented later in this section.

Chart 7a: Annual Housing Association and Local Authority new build starts and completions, years to end June

Chart 7b: Annual Housing Association and Local Authority new build starts and completions, years to end September

Chart 8: Quarterly new build approvals and completions (Housing Associations)

Chart 9: Quarterly new build starts and completions (Local Authority)

Trends over the last ten years

Chart 7a shows the number of local authority and housing association homes started and completed each year (to end June) since 2007, whilst Chart 7b shows the same information but up to end September (the most recent information available). Charts 8 and 9 show quarterly figures for housing associations and local authorities, respectively.

Social sector house building has not followed the same pattern as the private sector over time as the number of homes being built did not suddenly drop in 2008 following the recession.

Between 2007 and 2009 (years to end June) the number of housing association completions increased from just over 3,400 to under 5,500. Completions then decreased fairly steeply to just under 3,100 in 2013, after which completions have fallen more slowly to just over 2,400 in 2017.

The number of housing association approvals meanwhile decreased from just over 5,600 to just over 2,000 from 2007 to 2013 (years to end June). The figures have since increased to just over 5,000 in the year ending June 2017, with a 63% increase in the latest year.

Very few local authority homes were built in 2007 and 2008 (years to end June). The number gradually increased from around 400 in the year ending June 2009 to over 1,200 in the year ending June 2012 and has remained fairly stable since then up until the year ending June 2017. Local Authority housing has accounted for 8% of the total amount of new build homes completed across all sectors in the 12 months to end June 2017.

Trends to end June 2017

There were 819 social housing completions between April and June 2017; 18% less than the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end June 2017 to 3,708. This is a 6% decrease on the 3,953 social sector completions in the previous year.

Meanwhile, 588 social sector homes were started between April and June 2017; 15% less than the same quarter in 2016. This brings the total for the year to end June 2017 to 6,234. This is a 32% increase on the 4,714 social sector starts in the previous year.

Sub-national figures for the year to end June 2017

Maps C and D show the rates of housing association and local authority new build completions in each local authority for the year to end June 2017. The housing stock of 6 local authorities (Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Scottish Borders) has been transferred to housing associations and so these areas do not build new local authority houses.

In the year to end June 2017 rates of housing association new build completions were highest in the Orkney Islands, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Argyll & Bute, Glasgow City, and the Shetland Islands, whilst no new housing association houses were built in East Ayrshire, Inverclyde, and Midlothian.

Meanwhile local authority new build rates were highest in Fife, the Orkney Islands, and East Lothian. As well as the 6 stock transfer authorities mentioned above, Dundee City, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, the Shetland Islands and West Dunbartonshire built no new homes in the year ending June 2017.

Latest data to end September 2017

A total of 725 social sector homes were completed between July and September 2017, 20% fewer than the 903 homes completed in the same period in 2016. This brings the total for the 12 months to end September 2017 to 3,530, which is 9% less than the 3,871 completed in the previous year. The decrease in the 12 months to end September 2017 is due to a decrease in Housing Association led completions, which decreased by 19%, whereas local authority led completions increased by 16%.

Meanwhile, 935 social sector homes were started between July and September 2017. This is down by 29% compared to the same quarter in the previous year. This brings the total for the 12 months to end September 2017 to 5,849 which is a 14% increase (707 homes) on the 5,142 starts in the previous year. The increase in the 12 months to end September 2017 is due to Housing Association approvals increasing by 33% (1,180) homes whilst Local Authority starts decreased by 30% (473 homes) (see Charts 8 and 9).

Map C: New build housing – housing association sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, year to end June 2017

Map D: New build housing – local authority sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, year to end June 2017