FIRST-time buyers are finding it more difficult to get a foot on the property ladder in York and Ryedale than almost anywhere else in Yorkshire and Humberside, a report suggested today.

The report, by the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation, indicates that in York, a modest two or three-bedroom family home costs almost four-and-a-half times the average annual income of households with earners in their 20s or 30s.

The average household income is £32,591, but such a home costs £142,269.

Matters are slightly harder for first-time buyers in Hambleton, where they face paying just over four-and-a-half times their household income on such a property.

But Ryedale has the worst ratio in the region, with homes costing £141,788 - almost five times the average income of £28,898 for young households.

First-time buyers in Selby have a slightly easier time, with homes costing £123,818, about four times the average income of £30,826.

But that is still higher than the figure for most districts in West and South Yorkshire, and Humberside.

In Hull, such a home costs £63,563, less than two-and-a-half times the average household income of £25,746, while a home in Leeds costs £111,082, just over three-and-a-half times the average income of £30,083.

The national average price for England is £150,235, just over four times the average income of £36,549.

The figures emerge from a study conducted by University of York professor Steve Wilcox, who used house price data from the Survey of Mortgage Lenders for the end of 2003.

Prof Wilcox said it was rare for mortgage lenders to advance loans to individuals at ratios of more than 4.1 times their annual income.

Fewer than a quarter of all loans advanced to first-time buyers were for more than 3.75 times their annual income.

He said that even allowing for relatively relaxed attitudes taken by mortgage lenders at a time when interest rates are historically low, the figures showed that even the most modest two-bedroom properties were priced beyond the reach of many young working households.

He said the report also highlighted problems in popular tourist and second home areas, which raised questions about the adequacy of Government programmes to support the provision of affordable housing.

Updated: 09:46 Wednesday, October 06, 2004