NURSES, police officers, teachers and other key workers will get help getting on the property ladder in Worcestershire under a Government initiative.

Increasing house prices have made it hard for key workers to find affordable homes but help is at hand, says housing minister Yvette Cooper.

The Government has now given key workers in the West Midlands, including Worcestershire, the same status as their counterparts in the south east and London when it comes to getting a home.

Those who meet the key worker criteria now have increased access to the Government's range of low-cost home ownership products, known as Homebuy.

The Government is planning £679m million investment in social housing in the region over the next few years and aims to expand the number of shared equity and shared ownership homes.

The scheme would allow an eligible family on a combined income of £40,000 to buy a home worth £200,000 when previously they could typically obtain a mortgage of just £160,000.

Information about the housing support available will be made more easily available in the workplace, including hospitals and schools.

The Government will also be shortly announcing new long-term steps to help both key workers and other first-time buyers to access shared equity support as part of its £8 billion programme to provide thousands more affordable homes.

The Housing Green Paper confirmed £1.5 billion for shared ownership and shared equity support to help 25,000 people a year on to the property ladder by 2010.

The Open Market Home Homebuy can boost a buyers' purchasing power by up to 32.5 per cent, with a regular mortgage topped up with a shared equity loan, provided by the Government and one of four private sector lenders.

New Build HomeBuy is a part-buy/part-rent scheme offering the opportunity to buy a share of a home, starting from as little as 25 per cent, and being able to increase that amount when a person can afford to do so.

Key workers and first- time buyers in Worcestershire who are interested in housing support should contact their local Homebuy agent, Dawn Merriman, at West Mercia HG on 0845 658 5420 or e-mail home2own@wmhousing.co.uk or visit www.home2own.uk.com