New figures released today by the government reveal that 88,420 people have bought a home through Help to Buy since the scheme was introduced in 2013. Help to Buy was created in 2013 to support hard-working taxpayers who could pay a mortgage, but couldn’t afford the high deposits demanded by lenders in the wake of the financial crisis.Together with the government’s Help to Buy: NewBuy scheme – which offers 95% mortgages for those buying new-build properties - the number of new home owners has reached almost ninety thousand.The scheme has also been designed to stimulate construction of homes. Over half of the homes bought through Help to Buy have been new-build properties, helping to contribute to the 37 per cent rise in private house building since the launch of Help to Buy.94 per cent of Help to Buy completions have taken place outside of London, emphasising its assistance of the property market in regions, while 80 per cent of completions have been made by first-time buyers.The average house price was £185,000, significantly below the national average. But new research from Zoopla shows that the average price of property eligible for Help to Buy has risen 5.5 per cent in the past year.The analysis of properties for sale in England and Wales up to a value of £600,000 atributes the climbing price to a lack of supply. Indeed, the number of properties on the market eligible for the government’s Help to Buy scheme has fallen 7.4 per cent in the last year, according to property website, as even the measures designed to tackle the housing crisis fall subject to its problems.The biggest fall in properties eligible for Help to Buy in the past year has been in the East of England, with a 12.3 per cent reduction in suitable stock on the market, while average prices have climbed 6.1 per cent over the same period. In London, the typical value of a property qualifying for Help to Buy has risen by 11.7 per cent since March 2014. Stockport has witnessed the sharpest decline in properties eligible for Help to Buy, with available stock dropping 24.3 per cent from a year ago. It is followed by Rochdale (down 16.9 per cent) and Huddersfield (15.6 per cent).Further south, the number of properties for sale in Worcester, Cheltenham and Exeter that qualify for Help to Buy support has increased 5.4 per cent, 3.3 per cent, and 3.2 per cent respectively over the same period.Of all London boroughs, Southwark, Lambeth, Waltham Forest and Newham have seen the greatest annual rise in supply of homes up to £600,000, increasing by over 15 per cent.Lawrence Hall of Zoopla.co.uk commented: "The Help to Buy scheme was intended as a leg up for flailing first-time buyers, but in some areas that footrest has since been pulled from under their feet. Greater demand hasn’t been met by greater supply of homes on the market, and instead the soaring price growth of the past year appears to have airlifted many properties out of the starter home zone.  The pool of homes on the market within reach of Help to Buy assistance needs to expand, or this pinch on supply will continue to inflate prices at the bottom rungs of the ladder."

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