Jeremy Hunt today stepped up his campaign to provide more support for first-time buyers. He wants to ensure that more young people in Farnham, Haslemere and Godalming are able to get onto the housing ladder and key workers such as nurses and teachers are able to live close to where they work. Last year, there were fewer first time buyers than at any point since 1980, and a typical first timer is unable to afford a semi-detached property in 87 per cent of towns across the country.Mr Hunt said: “Property prices in South West Surrey are really putting the strain on first time buyers. The challenges they now face include paying £1,500 in stamp duty; soaring costs of living that make it harder to save for a deposit; and house prices that make it impossible to raise a sufficient mortgage for those on modest wages. Yet all we get is “garden-grabbing” mini-developments that threaten the character of our area whilst doing nothing to help first time buyers.“Wider home ownership is a matter of social justice. We need to bring down the barriers to getting on the housing ladder whilst not threatening the pleasant and often historic character of our towns and villages. New proposals endorsed by David Cameron, which will form part of Conservatives’ policy review, include:• Building more homes suitable for first-time buyers, while protecting the environment.• Reviewing planning rules to encourage the creation of homes with the gardens and parking spaces that families want.• Expanding shared ownership schemes to more than just a few public sector workers.• Opposing the Government’s new home sellers’ packs which will increase the cost of selling a home – pushing up prices for first time buyers.• Making it easier for council house and housing association tenants to buy their own home, with part-ownership as a step along the way.ENDSNOTES TO EDITORS• There were an estimated 320,000 first-time buyers in 2005, the lowest annual total since 1980. By contrast, in 1997, there were 503,000 (Halifax press release, 28 January 2006).(click here for original document)• A typical first-time buyer is unable to afford a semi-detached property in 87 per cent of towns in the UK. In the last ten years, the typical deposit put down by an average first time buyer has increased from £5,500 to £24,000, which means it now takes five years to save for a deposit, compared to just two years a decade ago (ibid.).• John Prescott’s planning regulations (PPG3 / PPS3) impose high density targets on new all housing developments. Leafy back gardens are classed as ‘brownfield land’. In many suburban communities, houses and gardens are being demolished and replaced with blocks of flats that are out of keeping with the character of the neighbourhood. The number of new off-street car parking spaces allowed are tightly restricted, so increasing problems with on-street parking.• Soaring council tax, higher utility bills and the complete abolition of mortgage interest tax relief have all pushed up the costs of owning a home further, making it more difficult to service a mortgage, or save towards a deposit. In the last three years alone, the total costs of owning and maintaining a home have risen by treble the rate of inflation.