The number of affordable housing starts slumped 68 per cent to 15,698 last year and social landlords have lined up just half the land they need to fulfil their building commitments by 2015.

Research by Inside Housing revealed that the top 50 developing housing associations have lined up enough land to build 49,978 homes by April 2015 – out of 99,604 homes they have said they will deliver. Sites have yet to be found for 16 per cent of the 29,931-homes landlords plan to build next year