Housing association starts down five per cent

Meanwhile new figures for housing association applications to start building new homes is five per cent lower than for the same period last year, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC). New home starts in total in October fell to the lowest level since the early 1980s, and the future looks even bleaker as the NHBC predict as few as 85,000 homes being registered in the 12 months to March 2009, compared with 184,000 for the same period last year. A spokesperson from the NHBC also warned that the country risked losing a generation of skilled workers due to the downturn in demand.