A HOUSING charity is urging politicians to consider the plight of young people trying to step on to the property ladder as elections draw closer.

According to research conducted by Shelter, a young couple with a child would have to save for nearly eleven years before they could afford to buy a home in the West Midlands, while couples without children face nearly six years saving.

Single people face an even greater barrier, with a wait of over eleven years until they can afford to buy.

The findings come as a separate Populus poll for Shelter shows that six in 10 parents across the country believe that young people’s prospects for getting on the housing ladder have worsened over the last few years.

Shelter’s chief executive, Campbell Robb, said: “Homeownership used to be within most people’s reach, but the rising shortage of affordable homes has pushed house prices up so high that for millions of young people it’s now just a fantasy, however how hard they work or save.

“Parents are right to be worried. The reality is that unless we get a grip on the housing shortage soon, children today could spend decades paying out dead money in expensive rents, or living at home well into adulthood with little hope of planning for their own families.

“Successive governments have announced scheme after scheme promising to help first time buyers, but these have just papered over the cracks. The only way to make sure young people have a hope of a home of their own is for politicians to roll up their sleeves and commit to building enough truly affordable homes.”