UK 'needs more key worker homes'

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber has said that several thousand more homes must be built in the coming years if key workers are to be housed adequately.

The government's plans, thought to centre around the construction of around 30,000 social housing units, will need to factor in at least a further 20,000 homes if key workers are to be able to compete in the market.

Many are already enduring long commutes to their jobs in order to get themselves onto the property ladder, suggested the trade union's general secretary.

"With the cost of housing in the UK spiralling ever upwards, young workers are increasingly being priced out of the housing market," Mr Barber noted.

"The high cost of property in our towns, cities and rural areas is also forcing many of our key public sector workers to move further and further away from their places of work. Having a decent place to live within a reasonable commute of your job is not much to ask for our hard-working nurses, teachers, firefighters and other public sector employees," the representative added.

Last month Yorkshire Building Society revealed that it had committed over £100 million worth of key worker loans as part of a government-backed house purchase scheme.


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