BRADFORD has one of the highest rates of affordable housing for families buying for the first-time across Yorkshire and the Humber, new figures have indicated.

New research by Shelter, released today, found that 38 per cent of properties, with two or more bedrooms, within the Bradford district were deemed to be affordable to families looking for their first home, compared to 31.6 per cent across the region as a whole.

The housing charity analysed asking prices for thousands of properties for sale throughout Yorkshire and the Humber, comparing them against the maximum mortgage a family buying their first home could afford, given they had an average deposit of 17 per cent.

Barnsley was found to have the highest figure across the region, with 51.8 per cent of homes fitting the affordability criteria, compared to just 0.8 per cent in York.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, described the fact that nearly 70 per cent of homes were off-limits for a typical family in Yorkshire and the Humber as "nothing short of a scandal."

In its Local Plan - which sets out where 42,100 new homes are scheduled to be built across the district by 2030 - Bradford Council acknowledges that while average house prices are lower than national and regional averages, home ownership has "remained out of reach" for many potential first-time buyers.

In an assessment identifying shortfalls in affordable housing across the district, the plan estimates an annual requirement of 587 new affordable homes, constituting a target of 20 to 25 per cent of the overall yearly figure.

Councillor Val Slater, portfolio holder for housing at Bradford Council, said: "Affordable housing is extremely important, and one of our key priorities as a Council.

"I'm pleased that the affordable housing stats for Bradford are higher than the rest of Yorkshire, but we have to ensure these properties are accessible for first-time buyers across the district.

"We also need to be careful how we define affordable housing, as sometimes the national averages don't translate locally to areas with lower-wage economies.

"More work still needs to be done, and we also need the jobs to go alongside the affordable homes."

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, house prices across Yorkshire and the Humber rose by six per cent to an average of £173,000 in the 12 months to June 2014, up from £164,000 the previous year.