The number of housing completions has more than halved since the 1970s. Here are three reasons why Britain must build more houses. Britain's chronic housing shortage has been highlighted in an official report that lays bare the extent of the decline in UK housebuilding. The report, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Monday, also illustrates the extent to which house prices have outpaced earnings growth. Here are three reasons why Britain must build more houses. The number of housing completions in the UK has fallen from 378,000 in 1969-70 to 141,000 in 2013-14, according to the Department for ... (full story)