Published: November 21st 2011 - at 3:33 pm

Grant Shapps’ crap on UK house-building


by Éoin Clarke    

Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on BBC Question Time last week when he claimed that house building was increasing. It is on course to be the lowest since 1946.

House building in 2010 was the lowest for 65 years. The Tories worm their way out of culpability for this by claiming that 2010 was the tail end of the Brown administration and they would do things differently.

So, have they? The graph above shows the number of homes commenced in the first 9 months of this year versus the number of homes commenced in the first 9 months of 2010. Guess what?

It is getting worse. The number of homes commenced in 2011 is 8% less than the like for like period in 2010.

Given that 2010 was the lowest number built since 1946, then we can say that this year is on course to beat that.

Grant Shapps second year as Housing Minister will see him preside over the 2 worse house building figures for 65 years. In the midst of all of that, Grant wants to solve the problem by asking you to swap your home with a neighbour, or consider living on boats parked in British waterways.

Today, he is to announce an extension of the Right to Buy Scheme that was pursued by Margaret Thatcher. The Tories are set to preside over the worse housing crisis the UK has seen in 65 years.

This is a tragedy on a scale with the housing crisis at the end of the Second World War.


---------------------------
     Share on Tumblr  


About the author
Eoin is an occasional contributor. He is a founder of the Labour-Left think-tank and writes regularly at the Green Benches blog.
· Other posts by


Story Filed Under: News


Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


Reader comments


1. Flowerpower

Private enterprise housing starts (seasonally adjusted) were 4 per cent above the June quarter 2011. Starts by housing associations were down however, 13 per cent…

Source: ONS

Public sector sclerosis again.

2. Tim Fenton

@1

Housing association does not equal public sector. I see that “sclerosis” and “sclerotic” are now in vogue on the right. If only they had any room to talk.

3. GTX

@2 Especially using it wrongly, such as in this case.

4. Tim Worstall

“So, have they? The graph above shows the number of homes commenced in the first 9 months of this year versus the number of homes commenced in the first 9 months of 2010. Guess what?

It is getting worse. The number of homes commenced in 2011 is 8% less than the like for like period in 2010.

Given that 2010 was the lowest number built since 1946, then we can say that this year is on course to beat that. ”

Well, no, we cannot quite make that leap. You see, you’re comparing two different things. Housing starts and housing completions.

I agree that your figures for housing starts (for England only, you really should define your statistics better) are correct.

However, housing completions for the first 9 months of 2011 are, at 79,840, higher than housing completions in the first 9 months of 2010, at 77,150.

It’s because houses take some time to build you see: we cannot assume that lower starts in 2010 will lead to lower completions in 2011.

Eoin, you’ve really got to buck up your statistics.

5. Sunny Hundal

http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2011/11/how-figures-on-housebuilding-can-be-quite-confusing/#axzz1eLny0bz3

6. Tim Worstall

Yes Sunny, housing figures can be confusing. Which is why I went and looked up the figures here.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/housebuildingq32011

And I know those are the same figures Eoin used because I got the same, 83,560, for the first 9 months of 2010.

You’ll note that the FT is quoting 2008, 09 and 10 figures, while Eoin and I are quoting first 9 months of 2010 and first 9 months of 2011 numbers.

Housing figures can be confusing but calendars are supposed to be less so.

7. Flowerpower

@3 GTX

Why wrongly?

Just as arterial sclerosis involves an accretion of fatty deposits impeding the free flow of blood, so the institutional sclerosis common in public and third sector organizations involves an accretion of bureaucratic practices that impedes the free flow of initiative and investment.

8. bluepillnation

Flowerpower@7:

The problem is that in private industry, the corollary to that statement is that large investments only ever seem to flow up, with executive bonuses and shareholder dividends (most of which end up invested abroad and/or in offshore tax havens) dwarfing investment in business expansion and improving the lot of employees.

This is part of the reason (besides 18 years of deliberate underinvestment) that Brown’s only option to meet promises on unemployment was to expand the public sector – because the private sector’s employment numbers were actually contracting when taking population growth into accont.

9. bluepillnation

Flowerpower@7

The corollary to your assertion regarding the public sector is that with the private sector investment only ever seems to travel upwards, with executive bonuses and shareholder dividends (most of which are invested abroad or stashed in offshore tax havens) dwarfing the money spent on expanding the business locally and improving the lot of employees.

In fact, other than 18 years of deliberate underinvestment, you’ve got the other reason Brown was forced to expand the public sector right there – because from the ’80s onwards reliable private sector employment effectively *contracted* when taking population growth into account, and the only way to bring down unemployment and keep the manifesto promise was to expand the public sector.

10. bluepillnation

Ignore repeated message – form post went wonky. Can anyone tidy it up?

Cheers.

11. Ciaran

@4, Tim Worstall

“However, housing completions for the first 9 months of 2011 are, at 79,840, higher than housing completions in the first 9 months of 2010, at 77,150.

It’s because houses take some time to build you see: we cannot assume that lower starts in 2010 will lead to lower completions in 2011.”

Are you really suggesting that houses started under the previous administration and completed over two years or more are a credit to the *current* administration?

You’ve really taken ‘grasping at straws’ to new levels.

12. Tim Worstall

“Are you really suggesting that houses started under the previous administration and completed over two years or more are a credit to the *current* administration?”

I’m not trying to assign credit to anyone. Although if you worked at it hard enough I’m sure you could…builders go bust half way through, glorious Tory govt improves conditions so that newly constituted firm finishes them off.

But you might have noticed that I’m a pedant about various forms of statistical reasoning. And here Eoin is simply wrong in his inferences from the statistics he’s looking up.

It’s not quite as bad as Sunny posting a graph showing that median wages rise under Tory admins and then claiming that right wing policies only crush the workers wages but still wrong.

13. Flowerpower

bluepillnation @ 8/9

large investments only ever seem to flow up… {most} shareholder dividends end up invested abroad and/or in offshore tax havens

Really? How come UK pension funds have assets worth $2.3 trillion then?

dwarfing investment in business expansion and improving the lot of employees.

Really? In Q2 2011, business investment in the UK stood at £30.6 billion. Even in times like these.

As for improving the lot of employees, I refer you to Sunny’s chart alluded to by Tim Worstall above, that shows the median wage rising nicely under Tory governments, but less well under New Labour.

14. bluepillnation

@13

Of course the median wage is going to track higher if the number of working-class unemployed is allowed to skyrocket (as it did under the Tory administrations), and the economy’s focus is switched to the financial sector (where median income is considerably higher, but the number of jobs considerably less).

Lies, damned lies and statistics yet again.

15. Robin Levett

@Flowerpower #1:

Private enterprise housing starts (seasonally adjusted) were 4 per cent above the June quarter 2011. Starts by housing associations were down however, 13 per cent…

Source: ONS

Public sector sclerosis again.

Or perhaps it might have something to do with a £4bn cut in social housing funding?

16. Leon Wolfson

@1 – “sclerosis”

Oh, is that what you call slashing public sectors budgets massively, and then not expecting cuts.

Nope, gotta blame anything except the cause.

17. Penny

The scandal is empty houses and unused, landbanked brownfield sites, all when perfectly usuable housing albeit terraced is being demolished in the north.

18. jubair

House building in 2010 was the lowest for 65 years. The Tories worm their way out of culpability for this by claiming that 2010 was the tail end of the Brown administration and they would do things differently.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. TFK

    Grant Shapps' dishonesty on UK house-building http://t.co/PH3Tt0Cj

  2. dolly daydream

    Grant Shapps' dishonesty on UK house-building http://t.co/PH3Tt0Cj

  3. Julian Block

    Grant Shapps’ dishonesty on UK house-building | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/Znw1NRyW via @libcon

  4. Jamie

    Grant Shapps’ dishonesty on UK house-building http://t.co/pqq35BKa #housing #homeless

  5. Left Foot Forward

    .@TheGreenBenches debunks @grantshapps claims on house building over at @libcon:
    http://t.co/da8MMguE #bestoftheweb

  6. Alex Braithwaite

    Grant Shapps’ crap on UK house-building | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/SOpv6YMX via @libcon

  7. Colin Waude

    .@TheGreenBenches debunks @grantshapps claims on house building over at @libcon:
    http://t.co/da8MMguE #bestoftheweb

  8. Altany

    .@TheGreenBenches debunks @grantshapps claims on house building over at @libcon:
    http://t.co/da8MMguE #bestoftheweb

  9. Steve Hilditch

    Grant Shapps' dishonesty on UK house-building http://t.co/PH3Tt0Cj

  10. Stephen Carter

    Another suit of f-all Grant Shapps’ crap on UK house-building http://t.co/YMiDw9k7

  11. Dissecting debate, sane Tories and “No Platform” « Though Cowards Flinch

    [...] incomplete is the Liberal acceptance that the media is owned by the enemy. They don’t need an actual basis in fact to create a story! They are the true children of Blair in that [...]

  12. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec15

  13. DarkestAngel

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec15

  14. Mark Cantrell

    RT @THemingford Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/YCLcbKc5 #bbcqt #Dec15 #ukhousing

  15. Jules Clarke

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on BBC Question Time – http://t.co/xvAPmfpO FrmDec15

  16. John Edginton

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec15

  17. Jill Hayward

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec15

  18. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  19. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  20. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  21. 12kazuko12

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  22. 12kazuko12

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  23. 12kazuko12

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  24. bob woods

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  25. bob woods

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  26. bob woods

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  27. Dave Sharp

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  28. Dave Sharp

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  29. Dave Sharp

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  30. christine clifford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  31. christine clifford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  32. christine clifford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  33. David Marsden

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  34. David Marsden

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  35. David Marsden

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec20

  36. TheCreativeCrip

    No surprise > RT @THemingford: Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/rcVOxGBf #bbcqt #Dec20

  37. Beth McCarthy

    No surprise > RT @THemingford: Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/rcVOxGBf #bbcqt #Dec20

  38. OccupySL

    No surprise > RT @THemingford: Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/rcVOxGBf #bbcqt #Dec20

  39. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec21

  40. Denis donovan

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec21

  41. Marjory Smith

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec21

  42. Paul Lowthian

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Dec21

  43. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  44. christine clifford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  45. Pat Glass

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  46. Alasdair Ross

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  47. Andy Buckley-Taylor

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  48. Finn McCann

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  49. Justin McCain

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  50. OCCUPY P-TOWN

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan1

  51. Andy S

    Liar, liar, pants on fire…. @GrantShapps Tory bullshitter supreme lies about housing. On national TV. #SameOldTories http://t.co/DGCDXGO3

  52. Martin Deane

    Liar, liar, pants on fire…. @GrantShapps Tory bullshitter supreme lies about housing. On national TV. #SameOldTories http://t.co/DGCDXGO3

  53. Morgan Dalton

    Liar, liar, pants on fire…. @GrantShapps Tory bullshitter supreme lies about housing. On national TV. #SameOldTories http://t.co/DGCDXGO3

  54. Tudor Evans

    Liar, liar, pants on fire…. @GrantShapps Tory bullshitter supreme lies about housing. On national TV. #SameOldTories http://t.co/DGCDXGO3

  55. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan3

  56. Brian Moylan

    RT @THemingford: Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/aaAWRUMj #bbcqt #Jan3 #ukpolitics

  57. ray campbell

    RT @THemingford: Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/aaAWRUMj #bbcqt #Jan3 #ukpolitics

  58. Henry Path

    RT @THemingford: Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/aaAWRUMj #bbcqt #Jan3 #ukpolitics

  59. Steve Humble

    RT @THemingford: Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/aaAWRUMj #bbcqt #Jan3 #ukpolitics

  60. Thomas Hemingford

    Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt #Jan4

  61. Thomas Hemingford

    @michaelmeacher Tory Housing Minister Grant Shapps lied to voters on #BBC Question Time – http://t.co/6yKz2Brm #bbcqt





Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

 
Liberal Conspiracy is the UK's most popular left-of-centre politics blog. Our aim is to re-vitalise the liberal-left through discussion and action. More about us here.

You can read articles through the front page, via Twitter or RSS feed. You can also get them by email and through our Facebook group.
LATEST COMMENT PIECES
» Robin Hood tax: backed by the rich AND the rest, says new poll
» Criticism of Obama for its own sake: a reply to Mehdi Hasan
» Do older people really need more NHS healthcare?
» There are alternatives to the reckless ‘Plan A’
» On Beecroft: it is already quite easy to sack people
» Why Cameron’s claim of 600,000 jobs created is plainly wrong
» By using age to allocate NHS funding, Lansley rewards Tory voters
» The rise in domestic violence deaths is not an “isolated” problem
» Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right
» The US is now a model for the Eurozone to save itself
» The IMF plan to revive the economy doesn’t go far enough
» The Boris brand is weaker than his friends think






’43% of young women sexually harassed’
48 Comments



How Newsnight demonised a single mother
93 Comments



UKIP higher than Libdems over May
24 Comments



Red Tory Blond: gay marriage “homophobic”
57 Comments



Nick Cleg u-turns on economy too
10 Comments



Funny bits of TPA report you probably missed
26 Comments



Poll: banks not paying fair share for crisis
24 Comments



Frank Field wrong on workless households
69 Comments



TPA report quotes Bible to preach low taxation
44 Comments



Ed M disliked Byrne’s hard line on welfare
25 Comments



 LATEST COMMENTS
» Chris Smith posted on BBC misrepresents gas story to help 'deniers'

» Just Visiting posted on Red Tory Blond: gay marriage "homophobic"

» Trooper Thompson posted on UKIP higher than Libdems over May

» Trooper Thompson posted on Robin Hood tax: backed by the rich AND the rest, says new poll

» Cylux posted on Red Tory Blond: gay marriage "homophobic"

» Tim Worstallt posted on Robin Hood tax: backed by the rich AND the rest, says new poll

» Just Visiting posted on On Beecroft: it is already quite easy to sack people

» Robin Hood tax: backed by the rich AND the rest, says new poll | Liberal Conspiracy posted on Poll: banks not paying fair share for crisis

» Chaise Guevara posted on Red Tory Blond: gay marriage "homophobic"

» Chaise Guevara posted on Red Tory Blond: gay marriage "homophobic"

» Just Visiting posted on On Beecroft: it is already quite easy to sack people

» john b posted on Red Tory Blond: gay marriage "homophobic"

» Cylux posted on Red Tory Blond: gay marriage "homophobic"

» Shinsei1967 posted on Criticism of Obama for its own sake: a reply to Mehdi Hasan

» Chaise Guevara posted on Adrian Beecroft highlights mindset of Tory right