Autumn statement: the first-time buyer's view | Money | guardian.co.uk

Autumn statement: the first-time buyer's view | Money | guardian.co.uk

Production editor David Whittam is 33 and lives with his girlfriend Sonia, 34, in a one-bed rented flat in Kilburn. They have a household income of £53,000 and are saving for a deposit to buy their first property. Whittam said the autumn statement was disappointing for first-time buyers, with little beyond what had already been announced in the government's housing strategy.

"We moved from a flat in Cricklewood to our current flat because the rent was too high at about £1,000 a month, and we're now paying £860. We've finally paid off all our student debt and we are hoping to save about £3,000 a year.

"But the average price of a property where we live is £360,000, which means we'd need to save about £70,000 to get a 20% deposit – that would take us 25 years. We're massively struggling because rents are so high in London – it leaves little left over to save. I guess we're what you'd call the squeezed middle.