THE NOT- SPOTS: WHERE DEMAND

IS LOWEST

London is a buyer’s market. Just a third of properties currently for sale have found buyers. The least popular postcodes are WC2 and W1, which cover the areas around Chancery Lane, Oxford Street and Soho.

About 62pc of properties for sale in Co Durham still need to find buyers. In TS28, near Hartlepool, 72pc of homes do.

Less than half (47pc) of properties in Cumbria are under offer or sold subject to contract. On the edge of the Lake District, in CA23 and CA21, more than 75pc of homes are yet to sell.

In Lincolnshire, only 48pc of properties have received offers. The least sought-after postcodes are LN12 and LN13.

OF 2021

Top scorers in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work 2021, excluding unquoted companies.

Nvidia

#2 Glassdoor score: 4.5

HubSpot

#4 Glassdoor score: 4.5

Google

#6 Glassdoor score: 4.5

Delta Air Lines #7 Glassdoor score: 4.5

Lululemon #8 Glassdoor score: 4.5

The once- popular Marcus savings account has reopened its doors to new customers after blocking interest-hungry savers for more than eight months.

New account holders using Goldman Sachs-run Marcus will receive a top market rate of 0.5pc, the best easyaccess rate on the market. However, it remains well below inflation and what was offered only a year ago.

The account closed to new customers in June last year after Marcus received an influx of cash. This was due to its standout offer as interest rates across the market dropped to historic lows. The Marcus brand has been popular since it came to market, consistently offering some of the best returns. However, customers have suffered successive rate cuts over the three years since launch, from 1.5pc to just 0.5pc.

Eleanor Williams, of Moneyfacts, an analyst, said: “Savers hoping to keep flexible access to their savings pot will be pleased Marcus has relaunched. This account is positioned towards the top of the table.”

Nationwide Building Society’s Triple Access Online Saver also pays a rate of 0.5pc. Leeds Building Society, Charter Savings Bank and RCI Bank all offer easy-access deals paying 0.4pc. British households saved more than ever before in 2020, tucking away another £ 150bn. However, the Bank of England twice cut the Bank Rate, leading to interest paid on accounts falling to record lows.

High street banks generally pay just 0.01pc, leaving savers at serious risk of seeing their cash eroded by inflation. No nationally available easy-access accounts currently beat inflation.

Most deals that do require savers to lock away cash for at least two years in a fixed-rate account.