More affordable housing

There were more affordable homes created this year than in any year since 1996/7, the government said yesterday. Some 53,730 affordable homes were provided in England in 2007/8, an increase of 21 per cent from the previous year. More than 29,000 were made available for social rent, while just over 24,000 were provided through other intermediate housing schemes including shared ownership and shared equity schemes, the figures up 19 and 23 per cent respectively from the previous year. Eight out of nine regions experience an increase in new affordable housing supply, with only the North East showing a small decrease.