NEW statistics reveal that there have been fewer 'affordable' homes built in Carlisle this year than last, bucking the trend of numbers rising across England.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities reports that 63 affordable homes were completed in Carlisle in 2022-23, reducing from 181 during the identical period the previous year.

Meanwhile, a total of more than 63,000 affordable homes were delivered across the nation as of March 2023 - the highest figure since 2014-15.

The figures include social and affordable rental properties, affordable home ownership, shared ownership and first homes.

28 affordable rent homes were delivered in Carlisle. 

The figures come at a time when one housebuilder, Gleeson Homes, currently has ten developments around the west coast of Cumbria and Carlisle which are projected to deliver 650 'affordable' homes for local buyers by autumn 2028.

But Labour's parliamentary candidate for Carlisle, Julie Minns, said the figures are 'deeply concerning' for the area.

"A safe, secure, affordable home is the foundation of a good life, but 13 years of Tory chaos has taken a sledgehammer to social housing and left thousands of people in Carlisle on the housing waiting list.

"The ink was barely dry on the Government's much-vaunted 'Affordable Homes Programme' before Liz Truss sent interest rates through the roof and put the housing market under such stress that Ministers had to hand back £1.9bn of the fund because they couldn't spend it.

"Labour will get Britain building again and deliver the biggest boost to social and council housing in a generation," she said. 

In Copeland, affordable homes are on the rise, with 18 being completed in comparison to two the previous year. 

56 affordable homes were completed in Allerdale, up from 21 the year vefore.

A DLUHC spokesperson said: “We are already investing in more affordable and social homes, and since 2010 have delivered over 684,800 new affordable homes, including over 171,100 homes for social rent.

“Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country.”