Private sector English housing starts in the three months to June fell 7% on the previous quarter and were down 17% on the same period last year according to government figures published last month (August).<br> <br> There were just 18,280 private starts in the period, the lowest since Q2 2009. Housing association starts fared even worse, at 3,080, down 23% on the previous quarter and 46% down year on year.<br> <br> Annual housing starts in England in the year to June totalled 98,670, 10% down on the year before.<br> <br> Meanwhile latest figures from NHBC show that while there has been a small recent improvement in new home reservations, the overall picture remains bleak. UK private sector housing registrations stood at 8,105 in July, the best monthly figure for more than a year – but the figure for the quarter to July is still 10% down on last year. Public sector registrations fared worse, down 42% year on year in the quarter.