New figures show fewer new builds being completed in Shropshire

The latest data comes from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Around 150 new build homes were built in the Shropshire Council area in the three months to June 2023– a decrease from the 200 completed in the same period of 2022.

Meanwhile, around 260 new dwellings were built in Telford & Wrekin in the three months to June – a decrease from the 350 completed in the same period of 2022.

Of these, 300 were built by private developers, while the remainder were social homes financed by housing associations.

Additionally, in Shropshire, 180 new build constructions got under way in the three months to June – fewer than last year, when 190 dwellings were started.

But, in Telford & Wrekin, 780 new build constructions got under way in the three months to June – more than last year, when 360 dwellings were started.

Luke Murphy, associate director for energy, climate, housing and infrastructure at the Institute for Public Policy Research, said housing in England “is now among the poorest quality and most expensive in the developed world”.

He added: “We now have millions of people renting privately, often in poor quality conditions or with little security, but still paying sky-high rents.

“Yet the Government doesn't have the policies in place to meet its own housing targets.

"It certainly won't meet its stated ambition to supply 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, and may struggle to meet its ambition to build one million new homes this parliament, and is nowhere near meeting actual housing need.

“Estimates suggest that up to 340,000 homes are needed in England each year, with 145,000 of those being affordable."

He added: "The Government needs to get serious about reforming our dysfunctional land market and investing in the genuinely affordable homes that people across the country so desperately need.”