Spring building was lower

THE number of new properties built in Barnsley this spring has decreased in comparison to previous years – and experts have warned housing targets may not be met.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities figures show around 160 new dwellings were built in Barnsley in the three months to June – a decrease from the 220 completed in the same period of 2022.

Of these, 120 were built by private developers, while the remainder were social homes financed by housing associations.

Across the country, according to seasonally adjusted figures, 67,600 new dwellings were started in the second quarter of the year, which was a 33 per cent increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

The local figures have not been seasonally adjusted and have been rounded to the nearest ten.

Experts said the current target set by the government, which is to build one million homes by the end of this parliamentary term, is too low to meet demand for housing.

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.”

In Barnsley, 300 newbuild constructions got under way in the three months to June – more than last year, when 180 dwellings were started.