Between 1 April and 30 September 2018, programmes managed by Homes England* started building 15,766 homes on site and completed a total of 15,704 homes. These figures represent 15 per cent and 31 per cent increases on the first half of 2017-18.

Affordable homes represented 63 percent of the housing starts (9,909 homes) – a 42 per cent increase on the same period last year – and 71 per cent of the housing completions (11,091 homes), a 19 per cent increase on the number of affordable homes completed in the first half of last year.

A total of 5,857 homes for market sale were started in the six months to 30 September 2018 – a 13 per cent decrease on the same time last year – however, the number of market sale homes completed in this period was up 69 per cent to 4,613, compared to 2,737 last year.

Of the affordable homes started, 5,714 were for Affordable Rent – a 26 per cent increase on the 4,526 started in the same period last year. A further 3,702 were for Intermediate Affordable Housing schemes (including Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy), representing a 71 per cent increase on the same period last year. The remaining 493 affordable homes started were for Social Rent, an increase of 68 per cent on the 294 started in the first six months of last year.

Of the affordable homes completed, 7,943 were for Affordable Rent – a 10 per cent increase on the 7,219 completed in the same period last year. A further 2,841 were for Intermediate Affordable Housing schemes – an increase of 50 per cent on the 1,900 completed in the same period last year. The remaining 307 affordable homes completed were for Social Rent, an increase of 76 per cent on the 174 completed in the first six months of last year.

Nick Walkley, Chief Executive of Homes England, said:

“These latest figures show the overall number of homes being built continues to rise, reflecting the hard work being carried out by the housing industry to build better homes faster.

“However, while they are encouraging to see, we cannot be complacent. We know there is more work to be done to meet the Government’s ambition to deliver 300,000 new homes a year, so we will continue to intervene in the housing market and use our land, powers and influence to make homes happen.”

ENDS

For further media information please contact:

Sarah Tucker, PR and Media Officer, Tel: 020 7393 2261 or 07970973134 Email: sarah.tucker@homesengland.gov.uk

Patsy Cusworth, PR and Media Manager, Tel: 020 7393 2201 or 0796772328 Email: patsy.cusworth@homesengland.gov.uk

Notes:

*The figures published today reflect the latest set of official statistics in relation to housing starts and completions for England (excluding London for all programmes except those administered by Homes England on behalf of the Greater London Authority (GLA)). Since April 2012, the Mayor of London has had oversight of strategic housing, regeneration and economic development in London.

The list of programmes included in these totals are detailed in the official housing statistics report, which can be found here.

Homes England manages London delivery relating to Get Britain Building, Build to Rent, Builders Finance Fund and The Home Building Fund – Short Term Fund, which are reported in these statistics.

Homes England also manages the Help to Buy equity loan scheme in England (including in London on behalf of the GLA). However, the completions are reported by the Department for Communities and Local Government and, therefore, are excluded from these statistics.

About Homes England

Homes England is the Government’s housing accelerator. We have the appetite, influence, expertise and resources to drive positive market change.

By releasing more land to developers who want to make a difference, and investing in places of greatest need, to deliver new homes. Homes England welcomes partners who share their ambition to challenge the traditional norms and build better homes faster.

For more information click here or follow us on Twitter.

Nightclub boss banned for six years after failing to ensure the company kept proper accounting books and records.

Brian Chalmers (53), from Edinburgh, was the sole director of Scene Live Limited. The company was incorporated in 2014 and operated the Citrus Club in Grindlay Street, Edinburgh.

However, only three years later Scene Live was ordered into compulsory liquidation in August 2017 after it failed to pay tax.

The court-ordered closure triggered an Insolvency Service investigation, where investigators found that while Scene Live was operating, Brian Chalmers had not been diligent when it came to record keeping.

He failed to ensure the company maintained adequate accounting records, did not ensure Scene Live filed accounts at Companies House and Brian Chalmers also failed to deliver records to the liquidator.

The investigation also uncovered that Scene Live made payments to a third party worth just over £180,000, with Brian Chalmers unable to provide an adequate explanation or accounting records to demonstrate what they were for.

On 18 October 2018, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Brian Chalmers after he accepted his failure to maintain and/or preserve adequate company accounting records.

Effective from 8 November 2018, Brian Chalmers is now banned for six years from directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

Rob Clarke, Chief Investigator Insolvent Investigations, of the Insolvency Service, said:

Companies are under a legal duty to account for their income and expenditure and fulfilling that duty is a key component of the role of a director.

There is no place in the corporate arena for those who neglect their responsibilities in this area, a fact which is reflected in Brian Chalmers’ lengthy ban.

Brian Chalmers is of Edinburgh and his date of birth is March 1965.

Scene Live Limited (company registration no. SC478762) was incorporated on the 29 May 2014 and commenced trading on the 22 August 2014 and operated as a bar and nightclub formerly known as the Citrus Club in Grindlay Street Edinburgh.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a [range of other restrictions] (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporate-insolvency-effect-of-a-disqualification-order).

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7637 6498

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

A new report published by Public Health England (PHE) showed that the UK is one of the first countries to meet the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets, highlighting that prevention efforts are working in the UK. New estimates revealed that in 2017, 92% of people living with HIV in the UK have been diagnosed, 98% of those diagnosed were on treatment, and 97% of those on treatment were virally suppressed.

An estimated total of 102,000 people were living with HIV in the UK in 2017, with 8% (8,200) unaware of their infection. As a result of treatment, 87% of all people living with HIV have an undetectable viral load and are unable to pass on their infection to other people (this is widely known as ‘Undetectable equals Untransmissible’ or ‘U=U’).

New HIV diagnoses continued to decline in the UK, falling 17% from 5,280 in 2016 to 4,363 in 2017. The reduction in new diagnoses continues the downward trend in HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men that started in 2012.

The success in the UK can be largely attributed to a combination of HIV prevention efforts that include condom use, increased HIV testing, reductions in time to starting treatment, and potentially the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

More can be done to eliminate HIV in the UK. In 2017, 43% (1,879) of new HIV diagnoses were made at a late stage of HIV infection. While numbers of late HIV diagnoses have declined, there continue to be missed opportunities for early diagnosis that can help people with HIV live a long and healthy life. PHE continues to stress the need for the public to accept the offer of an HIV test when attending a sexual health clinic or another healthcare service.

Professor Noel Gill, Head of STI & HIV Department, at Public Health England, said:

There can be no doubt prevention efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the UK are working. Our efforts must continue apace in order to eliminate HIV. With an estimated 8,000 people still unaware of their infection, it is vital that people seek out an HIV test if they consider themselves at risk, or accept the offer of an HIV test by a healthcare professional, as early diagnosis is key to stopping transmission.

Treatment for HIV is freely available and highly effective, enabling people to live a long, healthy life. There are now a variety of ways people can protect themselves from being infected with or passing on HIV, including the use of condoms, PrEP, regular HIV testing, and prompt initiation of antiretroviral treatment.

Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:

Many of us will remember a time when an HIV positive result was effectively a death sentence. Today’s report is a poignant and powerful reminder of how far we’ve come.

Now in the UK, almost everyone with HIV is not only diagnosed and in treatment, but living long, healthy lives – and we’re one of just a handful of countries to meet these ambitious UN targets. This didn’t seem possible just a few decades ago, but thanks to the efforts of public health bodies, charities and the NHS to encourage early testing and pioneer high-quality treatment, we are pushing ahead in the fight against HIV.

Dr Olwen Williams, President of the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), and Professor Chloe Orkin, Chair of the British HIV Association (BHIVA) welcomed the 2017 figures and commented:

The UK today has one of the best success rates for people taking HIV treatment anywhere in the world – 98% of those diagnosed are on treatment, and 97% can’t pass HIV on because the level of the virus in their blood is undetectable. However, it is shocking that 43% of those newly diagnosed were diagnosed late, leaving them at risk of serious ill health, and risking further transmission.

There are still an estimated 8,200 people who don’t know their HIV status – a finger prick test could change not only their life, but that of their partners. Yet despite this progress HIV stigma remains, which is why we must reach the wider community with these messages, so that HIV knowledge is based on fact, not fear.

HIV testing and treatment is free and available to all. Tests are available at sexual health services, GPs, healthcare, and community settings nationwide. In many cases, the test involves a finger prick and results are ready within minutes.

Alternatively, a blood sample can be taken in the privacy of your own home, which you can send to a local laboratory and receive test results in a format that best suits your lifestyle.

On 17 November 2018 National HIV Testing Week began promoting HIV testing to gay and bisexual men and black African men and women. This campaign is run by HIV Prevention England (HPE),, which is part of Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by PHE.

Background

1. More information about how to prevent and get tested for HIV on NHS.UK. The HIV home sampling service offers an alternative to traditional testing offered by GPs and sexual health clinics. Visit www.FreeTesting.hiv to find out more about free HIV home-sampling test kits.

Prevention efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the UK are working, but with 8% unaware of their infection it is still vital people seek an HIV test if at risk.