New figures show housing crisis worse than official figures suggest

The housing crisis is much worse than official figures suggest with figures showing the construction of new homes has barely increased in many urban areas.

The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said almost 18,000 homes will be started this year, up from the 13,234 units under way last year.

However, CIF warned there was no end in sight to the shortages because an average of 35,000 new homes will be needed each year over several years to meet pent-up demand.