Public sector workers priced out of housing market, says Halifax survey

House prices in seven out of 10 towns in Britain are beyond the salaries of public sector workers, according to a Halifax survey  published today.

The problem is greatest in the capital and the south west, where the average home is unaffordable for nurses, teachers, police officers, firefighters and paramedics in the 32 London boroughs and 34 south west towns surveyed.

Five years ago , the average house price in only 185 towns in Britain was beyond all key workers.

Tim Crawford, group economist at Halifax, said: “Housing affordability continues to deteriorate for key workers across Great Britain and it is now clearly not a problem confined to the south of England. Nurses face the most difficulties climbing on to the housing ladder but all key worker occupations are likely to struggle to purchase a house apart from in Scotland.
 
“The government’s key worker schemes are providing some relief but given recent trends there would clearly be benefits from broadening their reach.”
 
Last year, a local government survey on the social care workforce found councils that provided key worker housing were more likely to attract social work recruits.

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