More affordable houses were built in the year ending March 2015 than any year since 1993, according to figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
There were also more affordable home ownership completions with 16,080 recorded, up 41% on 2013/14.
In total 66,640 affordable houses were delivered, which also represents a 55% rise on the number delivered in 2013/14.
Communities Secretary, Greg Clark, said: “Today’s figures show how far we’ve come to get the country building, bringing the industry back from the brink to deliver the highest annual increase in affordable housebuilding for over two decades.
“But we are far from complacent and the doubling of government investment in housebuilding announced at the recent Spending Review reaffirms our commitment to deliver a million new homes by 2020.
“Affordable homes to rent and buy are a key part of that, helping to give young people and families across the country the best possible start in life.”
Housing Minister, Brandon Lewis, said: “Our housebuilding efforts are paying off and can be seen by this considerable increase in the number of affordable homes built in just one year.
“This is real progress but there is more to do. That’s why we are going further and increasing our investment in these homes to ensure many more hard-working people can benefit.”
In total 270,000 affordable homes have now been built since 2010. As part of George Osborne’s Spending Review the Government has committed to building 400,000 new homes by 2020, with 200,000 defined as Starter Homes.
