Bid to help North’s key workers buy homes

Jan 5 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal

WORKERS in the North-East are being targeted by a Government campaign designed to help them on to the housing ladder.

Housing minister Yvette Cooper yesterday announced the campaign to make it easier for nurses, police and teachers, to get the help they need in buying low cost homes.

She said part of the campaign included “clarifying the rule book” to make sure all key workers knew they were eligible for support and had an automatic right to apply for the scheme.

And she said that for the first time key workers would be a priority for support in the North-East when applications for low cost home ownership programmes were considered.

A communities and local government department spokesman said: “Long term increases in house prices, due to rising housing demand has meant many key workers are increasingly finding it difficult to buy a home in the region.

“That is why the Government is clear that more new homes are needed in the North-East region, including more affordable homes, with £283m new government investment planned for thousands more affordable and social homes over the next few years.

“But in the meantime the Government wants more to be done to increase access to low cost homes for key workers and other first-time buyers in the North-East.”

Ms Cooper added some workers were simply not aware of the opportunities available.

But Hexham MP Peter Atkinson said: “I think most people know what sort of help is available. All previous key worker schemes in the area have not addressed the problem at all.

“Even under the schemes the prices are unaffordable. The essential thing is that there aren’t enough houses and that we need a greater supply to help affordability.”