The number of new homes being built has dropped in the last year, new figures have revealed – despite Theresa May having made it her personal "mission” to oversee an increase in house-building.

Data released by the Ministry of Housing showed building work began on 157,480 new homes in 2017-18 – down from 163,000 the previous year.

Although the number of homes completed increased by 9,000 in the last year, the slowdown in new construction is likely to cause concern among ministers, who said they were "restless" to drive up building rates.

Ms May has previously vowed to tackle the UK’s housing crisis, saying it was her “mission” to get Britain building.

She said last year: “The number of new homes being delivered each year has been increasing since 2010, but there is more we can do.

“We must get back into the business of building the good quality new homes for people who need them most.

“That is why I have made it my mission to build the homes the country needs and take personal charge of the government’s response."

Despite this, 8 per cent fewer homes were built in the last three months than in the same period last year.

Ten years on from the 2008 banking collapse, the number of new homes being built has still not recovered to the highs reached in 2007.

However, it has more than doubled since the post-recession slump in 2009.

UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK Housing Crisis: in pictures UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Members of ‘generation rent’, as the younger generation is often known, are finding it far more difficult to get on the housing market than previous generations PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Then chancellor George Osborne visits a Help to Buy housing development in Lewisham in 2014. Osborne had announced the Help to Buy scheme in the 2013 budget as a means of helping first-time buyers on to the housing market PA Archive/PA Images UK Housing Crisis: in pictures In February 2017, then communities and local government secretary Sajid Javid issued a government white paper on housing. Introducing it in the Commons, he stated ‘our housing market is broken’ and that ‘the idea of owning or renting a safe, secure place of your own is, for many, a distant dream’ PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Residents of Fitzroy Road in Primrose Hill have demonstrated how urban areas might be built up without using extra land. 12 homeowners along the street all agreed to extend their house upwards by 1 floor. The government recently held a consultation on the revised National Planning Policy Framework, which, if approved, will support building above homes, shops and offices Google Earth UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Social Bite, a charity in Scotland, is creating a small housing community for the homeless. Up to 20 people will be housed for 12-18 months, with the charity’s focus being on transitioning the residents into permanent housing and employment AFP/Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures A homeless man was found dead yards from Parliament in February. His death was taken by many, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, to be symbolic of the government’s poor record on housing. PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Emergency homeless shelters in London had to be opened numerous times throughout the past winter to house those unable to find a room in an ordinary shelter or hostel Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Carillion, the UK’s second largest construction company, entered liquidation early this year. It held numerous government construction and maintenance contracts, for many of which the future is still uncertain AFP/Getty

Labour said the “dreadfully disappointing” figures were a direct result of government funding cuts.

John Healey, the shadow housing secretary, said: “Theresa May has made housing her ‘personal mission’, yet these dreadfully disappointing figures show that the number of new homes being built has fallen on her watch.

“We are now well on our way to a lost decade of low housebuilding under the Conservatives, with housebuilding still far lower than under Labour almost 10 years on from the depths of the global financial crisis."

He added: “These problems are of the government’s own making: huge cuts to housing investment and piecemeal planning changes have put a brake on new housing development including desperately needed affordable homes.

“The next Labour government will build a million new low-cost homes to rent and buy for hard pressed families.”

Number of social housing properties in England drops 11 per cent in one year

Number of social housing properties in England drops 11 per cent in one year

The government highlighted the increase in the number of new homes completed.

Dominic Raab, the housing minister, said: “I welcome seeing the number of new homes being built increasing by 8 per cent on last year.

“However we are restless to do much more to build the homes Britain needs – and make them more affordable for those on lower and middle incomes.”

Earlier this week, James Brokenshire, the housing secretary, announced £1.7bn of investment in 23,000 new affordable homes, including at least 12,500 social homes.

He said: "The government has ambitious plans to fix the broken housing market and build the homes our communities need