Frank O'Donnell

Despite the recession the number of people saving has remained static, according to a report released today by a government-backed firm has said.

Figures from National Savings and Investments (NS&I) have revealed that Britons are putting aside the same amount of money now as they were before the recession, despite speculation that the financial crisis would lead to a big increase in saving.

NS&I said the individual savings ratio – covering the amount of money people save out of their take-home income – has remained virtually stationary, at 6.06% in 2009 compared to 6.02% in 2005.

People are also planning to save less for the future, according to the survey.

NS&I said the ideal portion of their income that people would like to save fell from 14.8% to 14.2% over the last four years.

As an overall figure, people are actually saving more according to NS&I, with the average monthly amount saved rising to £83.87, from £70.23, but the savings spokesperson for the organisation said people were still not ranking their savings highly.

Tim Mack, said: ‘It is evident that Britons don’t seem to have made saving any more of a priority in 2009 than they have over the past five years, despite the economic downturn.’