Healey saw workers at the Yarn Street development in Leeds who are on site thanks to Government's Kickstart cash. This is the first of over 150 projects which will get off the ground shortly, with almost 100 across the country gearing up to get their spades in the ground by the end of the year.

The 281-home Yarn Street development had lain at a standstill for over a year and a half but thanks to almost £4m of investment around 70 workers are back on the site, less than five weeks after the money was allocated - some of whom have been rehired having previously been laid off.

Later in the day the Housing Minister visited another Kickstart site in Leeds in Parkway Vale where work is due to begin shortly.

John Healey said:
"Public investment in housebuilding is both getting construction workers back on site and creating a new generation of builders. With Government investment since June recently passing the £1.5bn mark, what I've seen today illustrates how this boost for housebuilding is getting Britain back to work.

"In an industry where the progress of developments is measured in months and years, the first spade is going in the ground today at Yarn Street in Leeds only weeks after I gave the green light for funding. Because of our Kickstart programme, there are over a hundred other sites across the country getting ready to start again, beginning work on the homes our country needs".