<p><span>New housing starts more than doubled in Q3 2020 against the previous quarter, with the number of completed homes almost tripling over the same period following the shutdown of the housing market last spring, according to building control figures released by the government.</span></p> <p><span>In the period from July to September, the </span><i><span>Housing supply: indicators of new supply, England </span></i><span>data showed that </span><span>35,710 homes were started, an increase of 111% on the previous quarter. Meanwhile, home completions soared 185% to 45,000.</span></p> <p><span>The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the figures reflected “the housing and construction industry’s resilience and measures they have taken to keep building sites open, in line with public health advice”. </span></p> <p><span>The marked increase was also thanks to </span><span>“support for all of those involved in the housing market, from renters and buyers to builders</span><span>,” MHCLG claimed.</span></p> <p><span>Housing secretary Robert Jenrick recalled some of the measures the government had implemented during the pandemic, highlighting the importance of housebuilding to the country’s recovery: </span></p> <p><span>“</span><span>Today’s figures show that the number of new homes developers have started building have more than doubled compared to the previous quarter and the number of completed homes has almost tripled. This reflects …