The National House-Building Council’s chief executive Mike Quinton has welcomed Ed Miliband’s policy agenda, which was announced as part of his speech at the Labour Conference on Tuesday (23 September).

Mr Quinton said: “NHBC welcomes the commitment by Ed Miliband MP in putting housing front and centre of his policy agenda in his final party conference speech before the 2015 General Election. We look forward to working with the Labour Party in the weeks and months ahead on policies to help support the delivery of more high-quality new homes.”

The NHBC’s latest figures for the rolling quarter (June to August) reveal that 35,621 new homes were registered compared to 33,593 in the corresponding period in 2013 – an increase of 6%.

Overall, registration figures for August compared to the same month last year show an increase of 10% (10,742 in 2014; 9,769 in 2013). A total of 8,293 new homes were registered in the private sector compared to 7,281 in 2013, and 2,449 in the public sector compared to 2,488 in 2013.

With the private sector proving once again to be the main engine of growth, NHBC anticipates that volumes in the public sector will begin to improve once funding is agreed and allocated as part of the second phase of the National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP).