The 'lost' Child Trust Funds

Money Box - A podcast by BBC Radio 4

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From this month, young people turning 18 can access money given them by the Government in a Child Trust Fund. All children born from September 2002 were given vouchers to invest, the idea being to provide children with some savings at the age of 18, to help with the costs of university or living alone for the first time. Initially £250 was put into the account and another £250 was added when he or she reached the age of seven. For lower-income families, the payment was £500. But it's estimated about a third of eligible young people and their families have no idea these funds exist. So how do you go about finding them?The financial regulator is currently consulting on limiting the amount it has to pay out when it fails to operate effectively. Campaigners are concerned it is weakening the current consumer redress.More than two and a half million people have successfully claimed almost £8 billion from the UK government’s Self Employment Income Support Scheme. The scheme was designed to help self employed people whose businesses had suffered because of the economic crisis caused by Covid 19.. We hear from one man who found someone else had claimed his self-employment Government grant - twice!And in our podcast we get a leaseholders response to the news that four of the UK's largest housebuilders are now facing court action after "troubling evidence" was uncovered by the Competition and Markets Authority over the way they sold leaseholds.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher Darin Graham Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon