A MALVERN teacher says the town faces losing a lot of its young people because property prices are too high.

Craig Jansen, head of sixth form at Dyson Perrins CE High School, said he had no option but to buy a house in Worcester, instead of the town where he works.

A scheme to make housing affordable to young people is facing the axe due to a Government U-turn.

Malvern Hills District Council is one of only a handful of authorities in England to run a scheme whereby a housing association can provide cheaper housing on a shared-ownership basis.

But the grant which makes this scheme possible is to be scrapped next month.

"It's becoming increasingly difficult with the escalation of house prices," said 31-year-old Mr Jansen, who as a head of sixth form could earn in the region of £30,000 a year.

"Young people have to have some sort of assistance. If they're being excluded due to a change in policy then it's a shame.

Apartment

"It would be a shame for people who are looking to set up a home of their own and are from this area. This type of scheme would have helped me.

"The reason I moved into this area was because I wanted to buy a property.

"It would have been nicer to live in Malvern but I was forced to only look in the Worcester area. For the price of my house and garden in Worcester I could only have afforded a two-bedroom apartment in Malvern."

Malvern Hills District Council has said it will lobby the Housing Corporation to try and get the Do-It-Yourself Shared Ownership (DIYSO) scheme nationally recognised.

"DIYSO has been a major plank in our provision of affordable housing because it is particularly suitable for an area like Malvern Hills and it will be a major setback if we lose it," said Keith Parry, the head of housing, revenues and technical services at the council.

"A shortage of affordable housing can have serious consequences for the local economy because there is a real risk that people will leave their jobs and move away to cheaper areas."

The average price of a semi-detached house in Worcester in February was £108,000 compared to £120,000 for Malvern.