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Hundreds of first-time buyers purchased a house in Ashfield through the help-to-buy ISA scheme in the year to March, new figures show.

There was a drop in the number of first-time buyers using the scheme across the country.

Experts said it reflected the wider market, as those who did not have a mortgage agreed before the autumn mini budget would have faced a challenging environment due to increased interest rates.

The latest Treasury data shows 202 properties were expected to be bought in Ashfield with support from the Government's scheme in the year to March, down on 374 the year before.

Across the UK, 558,176 property completions have been carried through since the launch of the help-to-buy scheme in December 2015. (Photo by: Andrew Matthews/PA/Radar)

Under the scheme, the Government tops up buyers' savings with a 25 per cent bonus. The scheme closed to new applicants in 2019, but 1,851 bonuses have been paid to individual buyers in Ashfield since its launch.

Across the UK, 558,176 property completions have been carried through since the scheme launched in December 2015, including 1,374 in Ashfield.

Nationally, there were about 60,300 properties sold through the help-to-buy ISA in 2022-23, fewer than 2021-22, when nearly 88,000 homes were secured.

Ben Thompson, Mortgage Advice Bureau deputy chief executive officer, said: “We remain hopeful inflation and interest rates will peak in the next year, upping the pressure on mortgage rates to begin to fall.

“This should see more buyers using their lifetime or help-to-buy ISAs to complete their purchases.”

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First-time buyers in Ashfield received an average of £1,156 per month on top of their savings, lower than the national average bonus of £1,217.

Current ISA holders can continue to save in their account until November 2029 and claim their bonus by December 2030.

A Treasury spokesman said: “We are committed to helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder. The help-to-buy ISA has so far supported more than half a million property completions.

“To continue helping first-time buyers, adults under 40 can open a lifetime ISA and save up to £4,000 each year until they reach 50, with the Government providing a 25 per cent bonus for the purchase of a first home under £450,000.”

The Government set a value limit of £250,000 for properties purchased outside London.

A new house would cost first-time buyers in Ashfield about £165,485 in March, 3 per cent more than in March 2022, when prices stood at about £160,057.

Hundreds of buyers used Help to Buy ISAs to purchase first home in Ashfield