A SCHEME to help first-time buyers on the property ladder has cleared a legal hurdle.

Councillor Roger Lord, leader of the Ukip group, had called-in the decision to go ahead with the initiative and asked for it to be reviewed, stating the county council should not be involved in money-lending.

But members of the county council corporate scrutiny committee voted 12-1 to allow the scheme to go ahead.

Council leader David Finch welcomed the decision and said the project was financially sound. He now hopes the first schemes will be up and running within three months’ time.

  • The Local Authority Mortgage Scheme would see Essex County Council and five district council partners guarantee up to 20 per cent of the value of a first-time buyer’s home to help them get a mortgage even if they could not raise a deposit.