‘Add youth workers to loans schemes’

‘Add youth workers to loans schemes’ A trade union is pressing
for youth workers to be given the same access to subsidies to buy
homes as social workers and other professions.

The Community and Youth Workers Union has written to deputy prime
minister John Prescott demanding that youth workers have access to
key worker housing to tackle recruitment and retention
problems.

Under the schemes, some public sector professionals, including
social workers and teachers, can receive government loans to put
towards buying a home or buy part of a housing association
property.

Doug Nicholls, the union’s general secretary, said a lack of cheap
housing was exacerbating the sector’s recruitment and retention
problems. He said about 4,000 more youth workers were needed to
meet government targets.

The average house price in England is more than £190,000 –
nearly 11 times the average youth worker’s salary of £18,000,
according to government figures for April.

The government has just finished consulting on plans to revise the
categories of employee eligible for key worker housing and will
present initial findings next month.