Up to 140,000 homes per year are needed in areas the government defines as most in need of levelling up over next 20 years, a commission backed by major housebuilders has said.

In its first report, The Building Back Britain Commission said that current housing policy is not dynamic enough to keep up with the expected surge in demand expected from the government’s move to create more jobs and wealth in parts of the UK outside of the south east.

The report, written by economist Chris Walker, said an extra 13,000 to 67,000 homes are needed in areas including Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Liverpool on top of current projections of housing delivery based on current government policy.