Where does Burnham rank as a housebuilding mayor?

The latest research from Inventory Base reveals that Cambridgeshire & Peterborough has delivered the highest rate of new homes of any of England's metro mayoral areas since 2017-18, averaging 5.6 additional homes per 1,000 residents each year. Across England as a whole, the average stands at 4.1, highlighting significant differences in housing delivery between the country's devolved regions.

Inventory Base analysed official Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures on net additional dwellings alongside ONS mid-year population estimates to calculate the average annual number of net additional homes delivered per 1,000 residents across each mayoral combined authority between 2017-18 and 2024-25 - coinciding with Andy Burnham's time as Mayor of Greater Manchester. Net additions measure the total change in housing stock, taking into account new-build homes, property conversions and changes of use, less demolitions.*

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough is the clear leader over the period analysed, averaging 5.6 net additional homes per 1,000 residents each year. Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire jointly occupy second place on 4.7, while York & North Yorkshire ranks fourth with 4.4. The East Midlands follows with an average of 4.3, while both Greater London and the West of England have averaged 4.2 net additions per 1,000 residents, marginally above the England average.

Greater Manchester, led by Andy Burnham throughout the period analysed, has averaged 3.8 net additional homes per 1,000 residents since 2017-18, placing eighth among England's 14 metro mayoral areas and below the national average of 4.1. The West Midlands follows on 3.7, while Tees Valley and South Yorkshire both average 3.6.

At the lower end of the table, Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire each recorded an average of 3.2 net additional homes per 1,000 residents each year, while the North East ranked last with an average of 3.1.

Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, commented:

"Housing delivery is judged by the number of new homes being built, but net additions provide a more meaningful measure of how England's housing stock is actually changing. By accounting for conversions, changes of use and demolitions alongside new-build homes, they paint a far clearer picture of whether an area is genuinely increasing the number of properties available.

Every additional home that enters the housing stock has the potential to ease pressure across the wider property market, including the private rented sector. While increasing supply won't solve every affordability challenge on its own, areas that consistently grow their housing stock are generally better placed to accommodate demand and support a healthier, more balanced market.

For everyone involved in residential property, from developers and local authorities to letting agents, landlords and property managers, understanding how housing stock is evolving is essential. As metro mayors continue to play a greater role in housing and regeneration, these figures provide a valuable benchmark for how effectively England's largest city regions are increasing the supply of homes over time."