Just 100,000 people have deposited money into the Help to Save scheme, with the average deposit rising to £47 a month.
In addition, a quarter of accounts remain unfunded, while take-up has slowed.
AJ Bell personal finance analyst Laura Suter said: “The Help to Save scheme was championed by the government as a way to help low-paid people to put money away, but it’s suffered from a lack of publicity and government backing. Then Chancellor George Osborne hailed it as a way to improve the lives of the poorest in society, but subsequent delays to its launch and changing governments mean it has been forgotten.
“The latest figures show that fewer people opened accounts compared to the previous period, when the scheme launched. What’s more, of those who have opened accounts a quarter have yet to actually deposit any money. The rate of withdrawals on the scheme has also picked up, with more people taking their cash out in the past six months than the previous period.
“However, those who are paying into the scheme are putting more money in, with the average monthly deposit at £47 – close to the £50 maximum. It’s good that 100,000 people have now made use of the scheme, meaning they will be eligible for the 50% bonus, but it’s a small fraction of the 3.5 million that should be eligible for the scheme.”
Latest News
NEW BUILD IN FOCUS - NEW EPISODE OF THE MORTGAGE INSIDER PODCAST, OUT NOW
Figures from the National House-Building Council saw Q1 2025 register a 36% increase in new homes built across the UK compared with the same period last year, representing a striking development for the first-time buyer market. But with the higher cost of building, ongoing planning challenges and new and changing regulations, how sustainable is this growth? And what does it mean for brokers?
The role of the bridging market and technology usage in the industry
Content editor, Dan McGrath, sat down with chief operating officer at Black & White Bridging, Damien Druce, and head of development finance at Empire Global Finance, Pete Williams, to explore the role of the bridging sector, the role of AI across the industry and how the property market has fared in the Labour Government’s first year in office.
Does the North-South divide still exist in the UK housing market?
What do the most expensive parts of the country reveal about shifting demand? And why is the Manchester housing market now outperforming many southern counterparts?
In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, to explore how regional trends are redefining the UK housing, mortgage and buy-to-let markets.
In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance, to explore how regional trends are redefining the UK housing, mortgage and buy-to-let markets.
The new episode of The Mortgage Insider podcast, out now
Regional housing markets now matter more than ever. While London and the Southeast still tend to dominate the headlines from a house price and affordability perspective, much of the growth in rental yields and buyer demand is coming from other parts of the UK.
In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance.
In this episode of the Barclays Mortgage Insider Podcast, host Phil Spencer is joined by Lucian Cook, Head of Research at Savills, and Ross Jones, founder of Home Financial and Evolve Commercial Finance.
© 2019 Perspective Publishing Privacy & Cookies
Recent Stories