Significantly fewer new homes started in Scarborough by government housing body last year

Labour said crude council cuts mean fewer staff to deal with planning applications, and that a long-term decline in new social rent homes is a “disaster”.

The latest Homes England data shows that 49 homes were started in Scarborough in 2018-19, down from 288 in the previous year.

This bucks the trend across England, as well as that in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber, where the number of new constructions increased.

No homes started to be built for social rent, which is pegged to local incomes and cheaper than other housing types.

This was the same number as the previous 12 months.

Across England, around 45,700 new houses started on site in 2018-19 – 7% up on the previous 12 months.

Starts for affordable home ownership, which includes shared ownership and rent-to-buy schemes, as well as affordable rent housing – capped at 80% of the local market value – went up.

Intermediate-rent housing, defined as being between social and market rates, and homes for market sale and rent also increased.

The only decline was for social rent properties – 13% fewer were started.

Polly Neate, chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, said: “While more new homes may be being built overall, only a tiny fraction are the truly affordable social homes this country actually needs.

“This has to change.

“The millions of people in housing poverty who are battling to make ends meet each month deserve a better deal.

“That’s why we’re urging the Government to invest in 3.1 million new social homes over the next 20 years to end our housing emergency once and for all.”

The chief executive of Homes England, Nick Walkley, said the latest figures show positive signs that new homes are on the up.

He added: “However, there is still a huge amount of work to do to make sure this trend continues.”