Calls grow for government to automatically release child trust funds at 21

State-funded savings accounts set up for children at birth going unclaimed, with £1.5bn estimated to be sat in bank accounts

As Elle Middlemas approached her 18th birthday, she began wondering if she had a child trust fund, a government savings account given to all children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, that can be accessed as soon as they officially hit adulthood.

She quickly hit a dead end. She wasn’t sure if she was even owed the money and could find no information online. An email to HMRC seeking clarity led her nowhere.