<p><span>The government’s ambition is to increase homes delivery, “but far too much attention is paid to numbers,” according to housing minister Stuart Andrew.</span></p> <p><span>Giving a keynote speech at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s annual housing conference in Manchester, which included the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, improving people’s acceptance of homes, council housebuilding and building safety, Andrew stated that during the pandemic, the government and industry had “kept the conveyor belt of housebuilding going”.</span></p> <p><span>He said that despite current economic conditions, numbers would “climb back up in the coming months and years” after more than 216,000 homes were built in 2020/2021 – “just a small dip on the previous year”. The government would “do everything we can to scale-up delivery and help the sector – to help you – overcome the barriers from holding you back,” Andrew stated.</span></p> <p><span>But he stressed that too much focus was being placed on the number of homes being built. “As Werner Herzog said, if facts were the most illuminating thing in life, then the New York phone book would be the most interesting book in the world,” he told the audience.</span></p> <p><span>He compelled delegates to “look beyond the numbers and look at where we …