YORK’S housing market is emerging from its slump and there should be significant increases in construction next year, a new report has claimed.

Paul Landais- Stamp, City of York Council’s housing strategy manager, says the number of houses given planning permission and where work has started has begun to climb after a seven-year struggle, although the report also says completions have fallen and its claims have been labelled as “spin” by York’s opposition leader.

In a written report, Mr Landais-Stamp said: “The statistics in this report present strong evidence that the housing market in York is emerging from the recession of 2007/08.

“In 2013/14 planning consents and starts on site increased significantly indicating a renewed confidence in the housing market.”

The number of new homes given planning permission fell from 1,629 in 2007/8 to 182 two years later.

Numbers languished in the low hundreds for several years, but in 2013/14, the council approved 1040 new homes.

Completions have stayed low, with just 374 new houses finished in the city last year. Mr Landais-Stamp said that was a reflection of previous years, when few developments were approved or begun.

Mr Landais-Stamp said completions were expected to rise this year and increase “significantly” in 2015/16.

He said: "Of course external factors such as interest rate rises, skills shortages, the increasing cost of construction materials and uncertainties caused by the general election could impact on this. Certainly the pressures of a rapid rise in housebuilding should not be underestimated and the council and its partners need to encourage and support construction training opportunities that will address these pressures.

"But overall, there is every indication that with major developments at Terry’s, Derwenthorpe and Hungate continuing to build out and others such as Germany Beck, British Sugar, The Barbican and Nestle South looking to move forward, that the current upturn in completions is likely to continue.”

Mr Landais-Stamp’s report was presented on Thursday to Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing, cabinet member for homes, and Cllr Dave Merrett, although the meeting was held in private, meaning the report was not available for public scrutiny in advance.

In a joint statement afterwards, Cllrs Simpson-Laing and Merrett said cabinet member for planning, said: “These latest figures are encouraging and the momentum of the project’s support must continue.”

“After the first year of the Get York Building initiative, there is sound evidence that the package of interventions supported by the council is having a positive impact on the house building industry in York.”

York Conservative leader Chris Steward said: “The report is yet more housing spin from the Labour cabinet with it seeking to take credit for future potential developments and the Government’s improvement of the economy.

"The stark fact is once again housing competitions have fallen and Labour again failed would be homeowners.”

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  • Separately at Thursday’s meeting, Cllr Simpson-Laing received a report on council tenants’ satisfaction.

The council said it showed 87 per cent of council tenants were satisfied with the services to their homes and that 98 per cent of repairs were carried out on time.

Also at the same meeting, the council approved a move to allow tenants’ rent account history to be passed to credit score company Experian, which will make it easier for tenants to accrue a positive credit rating, if they are not on full housing benefit and are not in arrears.

The initiative has been backed by The Big Issue.