THOUSANDS of public-sector workers locked out of the property market for years by rising prices and wage freezes have finally been given hope of owning a home.
A national survey has found that, because of the fall in property values, houses are now more affordable for key workers such as teachers, nurses, paramedics, police officers and firefighters than at any time since 2007.
The Bank of Scotland study found homes in two-thirds of Scottish towns are now calculated to be affordable for the average key worker, based on the ratio of average house prices to average earnings.
Faisal Choudhry, associate director of residential research at Savills, said: "The market conditions are in many ways perfect for those living on lower incomes and what we have at the moment is attainable pricing in Scotland.
"Prices haven't risen in the past few years and in many cases they are falling. The only fly in the ointment, the things holding people back from entering the property market, are the restraints on mortgage lending."
Although hotspots such as Edinburgh and Aberdeen are still out of reach for many, this represents a huge improvement since September 2007, when homes in just 16% of Scottish towns were affordable. The study found all five occupations experienced improvements in house-buying power in the past five years.
Firefighters have made the most considerable gains, with the number of towns deemed "affordable" for workers in the fire and rescue service rising from just 2% in 2007 to 63% in 2012. For nurses, the rise has been from 2% to 59%, while for teachers it is 18% to 76%.
The study also looked at which towns had the most affordable housing stock.
There are 35 towns with an average house price to key worker ratio below the Scottish average of 4.0, which are affordable for key workers. It is calculated by dividing the average house price by annual average earnings for each occupation.
According to the report, Alloa has shown the biggest improvement since the peak of the housing boom in September 2007. Key public workers in the Clackmannanshire town have seen the house- price-to-earnings ratio drop from 4.8 to 2.9 in 2012.
Other hotspots include Renfrew, Larbert in Stirlingshire and Ayr. All these towns are now included in the list of affordable locations for key workers. This is a distinct improvement since 2007, when Wishaw in North Lanarkshire was deemed the only affordable town for nurses across the UK.
Overall, the most affordable town in the UK is Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, says the bank. It has an average house price to key workers ratio of 2.5. Next is Renfrew, 2.6 and Cumnock, Lochgelly and Coatbridge, all 2.7. The least affordable areas for key workers are Inverurie, Stonehaven and Edinburgh.
Nitesh Patel, housing economist at Bank of Scotland, said: "Housing affordability for key public-sector workers has improved significantly across Scotland since house prices peaked in 2007. Close to seven in 10 towns are now affordable compared with just 16% in 2007."
While the results of the survey bring the prospect of home ownership closer for public-sector workers, those working in the private sector are more likely to remain out of the property market given the pay divide between the two.
Latest available figures from the Office for National Statistics state the average gross weekly wage for the public sector stands at £556, or £28,912 a year, compared to £476 a week for the private sector – the equivalent of £24,752 a year.
But public sector unions attacked the survey. John Duffy, Scottish secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "Our members have had been no wage rise for three years and pay greater contributions to pensions, so they have less to spend and house prices may be coming down in some areas, but at best they are stagnant."
Ann Ballinger, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, said: "Many graduates have traditionally gone into teaching after industry experience which enhances learning experience, but the huge drop in salary and no promotion makes it almost impossible to buy a home without savings or family support.".
And Ellen Hudson, associate director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland, said: "Many of our members will continue to find it difficult to get on the property ladder.
"Everyone in the NHS earning more than £21,000 is subject to a pay freeze, so this, combined with pension contribution increases and the rising cost of living, means owning a house is a long-term aspiration rather than a reality for many nurses and health care support workers."
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