The government’s latest household projections revealed that households are set to grow quicker than previously expected. The figures showed that that the number of households in England is projected to swell to 27.8 million by 2031, a 6.3 million increase on the 2006 estimate. According to the data, this means a significant revision of the government’s target to build 3 million homes by 2020. The Home Builders Federation has warned that the implications were a “major” housing shortfall, a house price hike and social consequences. HBF stated that in order to avoid losing further housebuilding capacity in the future, it should swiftly tackle the central issue affecting housing supply – the lack of mortgage lending – and use its influence over the banks to “ensure some sensible levels of mortgage lending return.”