Month: June 2020

Morrisons introduces lunchtime meal deal which includes premium best sandwiches

*£3 offer is the only supermarket meal deal to include premium sandwiches* 

*Deal also includes options for vegans, Free From, sushi, freshly made sandwiches and hot rolls*

Morrisons is to become the only retailer to sell premium sandwiches as part of its lunchtime meal deal. 

‘The Best’ range which is priced at £2.75 individually will now be included in the £3 meal deal. The new selection will include; ‘The Best’ New York Deli Grab Bag; ‘The Best’ Ham Hock and Egg Sandwich; ‘The Best’ Chicken and Bacon Sandwich and a Morrisons Chicken Caesar Triple Wrap.

Uniquely it includes baguettes, freshly made in-store sandwiches and hot rolls.  Vegan options and even triple sandwiches and wraps are also included. Morrisons customers can enjoy an array of options including:

  • Freshly baked and hand filled baguettes and rolls

  • Salad boxes freshly prepared in store daily

  • A selection of Meat, Fish or Veggie sushi boxes

  • Hot Bacon or Sausage sandwiches

  • In the near future customers will also be able to create a salad box from the Morrisons salad bar, with everything from pasta salads, hard boiled eggs and falafel to onion bhajis, BBQ jackfruit and coleslaw.

Snacks include a jumbo vegetable samosa or succulent king prawns with a sweet chilli dip and for those with a sweet tooth – rocky road or caramel flapjacks.

Finally to wash it all down, there’s a wide range of drinks including Innocent Green Smoothies and Costa Coffee Lattes.

Morrisons £3 Meal Deal Selection:

MAINS

Sandwiches and Wraps – including triple sandwiches and wraps and vegan and gluten free options as well as Morrisons ‘The Best’ range of sandwiches

Baguettes and Rolls – Freshly baked and hand-filled daily

Salad Boxes – Freshly prepared in store daily

Hot Rolls – Bacon and Sausage Sandwiches

Pasta Pots – selection of pasta pots including loaded chicken and tuna and sweetcorn

Medium Salad Box – Create your own salad box from Morrisons in store salad bar

SNACKS

Crisps

Fruit pots

Yogurts

Flapjacks

Protein pots

Sushi Snack Packs

Selected Pastries

DRINKS

Fizzy drinks including 500ml Coca-cola

Water

Fresh juice

Hot Drinks from Morrisons in store coffee machine

Morrisons meal deal is available in all stores nationwide.

First Minister focuses on return to education

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Tuesday 15 June):

Good afternoon, and thank you very much for joining us again today. I’ll start – as always – with an update on the key statistics in relation to COVID-19.

29 new positive cases were confirmed in Scotland yesterday. Now I’m going to say more about the total number of positive cases in a moment, because from today we are incorporating new data into that total.

A total of 870 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That represents a total decrease of 94 from yesterday, but an increase of 3 in the number of confirmed cases in hospital.

A total of 18 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That is also an increase of 3 since yesterday.

And I can confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,909 patients who had tested positive and needed to go to hospital with the virus have been able to leave hospital.

In the last 24 hours, zero deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – so the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, therefore remains at 2,448.

I would however stress – as I did last Monday – that although this is clearly hugely welcome and very encouraging, it is nevertheless common for fewer deaths to be reported at weekends and unfortunately I do expect that we will almost certainly report further COVID-19 deaths in the days ahead.

And as always, I want to emphasis that when we do report these figures, they are not simply statistics – they represent individuals whose loss is a source of grief to many. So once again, I want to send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.

I also want to express my thanks – as I always – to our health and care workers, and indeed to all key workers across the country. The Scottish Government and indeed I think people the length and breadth of the country are grateful to you for the work you are doing.

I’m going to focus on education in my remarks today, but before I do that, I want to highlight some new data which we are publishing for the first time today.

Up until now, we have only been able to publish testing results that come from NHS Scotland laboratories.

We have been able to report the total number of tests carried out by facilities run by the UK Government – for example drive-through centres and mobile testing units – but we have not yet been able to publish the breakdown of positive and negative results. Though I should say for the avoidance of doubt, the individuals tested have of course been notified directly of their results.

Public Health Scotland has been working with the UK Government to rectify this issue, and from today, we are able to provide daily figures for all tests in Scotland.

For example, we can see that of those people tested in the 24 hours up to 8 o’clock this morning, 29 positive cases were confirmed. Of those positive cases, 9 were from tests conducted at UK Government facilities, and 20 were from NHS Scotland facilities.

So In total, there have been 18,030 confirmed positive cases in Scotland since the beginning of this outbreak. 15,687 of these confirmed cases were tested in NHS Scotland laboratories and a further 2,343 were test through UK facilities.

Now I know that some people compare each days figures with the previous day’s very carefully. If you have been doing that, you will have expected the NHS lab number I’ve just given to be 88 cases higher than it is.

The reason it’s not is that where a person has been tested more than once – first at a UK facility and then in an NHS Scotland facility – we have removed them from the NHS figure to avoid double counting of testing.

It is also important to stress that including this data from UK facilities does not change the total number of lab confirmed COVID-19 deaths that we have been reporting throughout.

From Thursday onwards, we will be able to provide a more detailed breakdown of test results – by date and by region – on the Scottish Government’s website and I hope that this information will be helpful in giving a full picture of the progress that has been made on testing over the last three months.

Now as I indicated the main issue I want to talk about today is school education. And I want to address parents and young people very directly today. I know you are deeply anxious – as I am – about the impact of this crisis on schooling.

So I want to be very clear today about the some of the principles that we are working on and the Scottish Government’s expectations – and as we look forward to the new school year. I hope to leave you in no doubt about the priority I and the whole government attaches to making sure our young people do not lose out on education or have their life chances damaged as a result of this crisis that we are all living through right now.

So, firstly, I want to be clear that it is our expectation that, by the time schools return on 11 August – and obviously within necessary safety guidelines – councils will have put in place arrangements that maximise the time that young people spend in a school environment having face to face learning.

In this immediate period that we are in right now, the Scottish Government will be scrutinising council plans closely – and where we conclude that all possible steps have not been taken to maximise face to face teaching and learning, we will ask councils to reconsider and revise their plans.

Innovation and creativity will be required here – but let me also be clear that where there are genuine issues of resources, the Scottish Government will work with councils to address those and the quality of your children’s education will be the absolute priority in those discussions.

And then from the 11 August starting point, our aim will be to return to normal schooling as quickly as we possibly can – recognising that of course that along the way we need to build the confidence of parents, young people and teachers that schools are safe.

And I want to be particularly clear on this point. While we of course have a duty to be open with parents that none of us right now have a crystal ball, and that the path the pandemic will take in the months ahead remains uncertain, it is absolutely not the case that we are ‘planning’ for blended learning, with children learning at home for part of the school week, to last a year – or anything like it.

On the contrary, we do not want blended learning to last a single moment longer than is absolutely necessary and so we will be working with councils to return schools to normal as quickly as we can.

We want young people to be back having face to face teaching for 100% of the school week as soon as it is feasible.

To that end, our regular three-weekly reviews of the Coronavirus regulations will now include specific consideration of the evidence and data relating to transmission of the virus within schools and amongst young people – and where that suggests that safety restrictions can be lifted or eased without putting pupils and teachers at undue risk, we will do so.

As part of these reviews, we will ask our International Council of Education Advisers to consider experiences in other countries.

We will also be working with councils to ensure ongoing and enhanced support for any time that young people do spend learning at home.

And let me be clear it is our firm intention, as things stand right now, that next year’s exam diet will go ahead.

We will also be considering carefully how we work to address and mitigate and make up over time any impact of this crisis period on young people’s learning.

Ensuring that our children and young people have the highest quality education – and that life chances are not negatively impacted by what we are all living through right now – is of absolutely critical importance.

I want to give you my personal assurance that it is central to my and to the whole Government’s thinking as we plan and steer the country through our emergence from lockdown.

Before I hand over to the Chief Medical Officer, I want to end by emphasising again our key public health guidance because sticking to this guidance right now remains the most important way of enabling us to make further progress out of lockdown – which I very much hope we will do later this week.

You should still be staying home most of the time, and you should still be meeting fewer people than normal.

When you do meet people from another household, please stay outdoors, and stay 2 metres apart from them.

Don’t meet with more than one other household at a time, don’t meet more than one a day – and keep to a maximum of eight people in a group.

Wash your hands often. Take hand sanitiser with you if you are away from home.

Wear a face covering when you are in shops or on public transport.

Avoid touching hard surfaces if you can and clean any that you do touch.

All of these measure – hand washing, surface cleaning and wearing face coverings – will all help us to reduce the risk as we start to return to more normal life.

Indeed – if anything – these measures become more important, not less important, as we move through this pandemic.

I’d ask all of you to bear that in mind.

And, just as importantly, if you have the symptoms of COVID-19 – a fever; a new cough; or a loss of, or change, in your sense of taste or smell – ask for a test immediately, and please follow the advice on self-isolation.

You can book a test at nhsinform.scot or by phoning NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816.

Sticking to these rules- as you can see from the numbers we are reporting each day – has had and is having an impact. By doing the right thing, we are suppressing the virus.

We are saving lives.

And we are creating the firm foundations on which we can take further steps out of lockdown.

So my sincere thanks, to all of you once again, for continuing to abide by these rules and by this guidance.

Can you help police identify this woman?

Police are appealing for information which could assist with identifying the body of a woman recovered from the River Forth.

A report was received of a body seen in the water off Society Road west of South Queensferry around 9.45am on Saturday, 13 June.

The woman was recovered with the aid of HM Coastguard.

Herd death is currently being treated as unexplained.. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.

Officers are now appealing for information which could aid identifying the woman.

She is described as approximately early to mid-30s, 5ft 5in tall and of slim build. She has dark shoulder length hair which was dyed red, and has four small tattoos in a cluster on her outer leg above her right ankle, consisting of a fire symbol and a symbol similar to multiple apostrophes in a circle.

She was wearing two necklaces, both of a thread like material. One was red/orange in colour and the other green. One had small silver stars and the other green gemstones.

Anyone who may be able to assist identifying the woman is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident 1128 of 13 June.

Hibs to consult supporters on ‘difficult choices’

Since the global pandemic hit the UK – wreaking havoc with our lives, our health and care systems, and our businesses – Hibernian supporters have been magnificent in their backing for the club.

Our support has been the silver lining on a cloudy horizon. In turn, we have sought at every turn to keep supporters informed as honestly as we are able to. With that in mind, it is now important to let supporters know that difficult choices must be considered to reduce costs to protect the future of Hibernian.

We are today embarking on a process of consultation with our people over proposals to find cost reductions. This is no different from any other business in this economy, many of which have already taken steps to protect their future.  We must all recognise that the club must be financially sustainable.

When we outlined our ambitious plans at our AGM a few months ago, no-one could have predicted that the healthy cash balance the club enjoyed at that time would be severely depleted a few months later as we faced this crisis and no revenue being generated from normal operations.

The club has continued to meet its full liabilities, internally and externally, with some of these deferred but still due later in the year. This initial action was a vital step, allowing us breathing space to manage cashflow and, importantly, to engage with our staff.

With no clear end in sight and a full return to football in stadia full of supporters likely to be in 2021, there has been, and there will continue to be, a substantial and unsustainable strain on the Club’s finances.

We forecast that our revenues will be halved in 2020-21 and we anticipate a significant loss for the current season that was cut short in March, despite the support shown by fans so far. That is the reality we face, and the continued uncertainty and restrictions mean our current cost structure is not sustainable.

Chairman Ronald Gordon said: “We’re all excited that football is returning – but it will be behind closed doors, with likely limited attendance as a next phase. That means we continue to endure limited revenue opportunities for the foreseeable future.

“Therefore, several initiatives, activities and services at our club need to be paused or scaled back until it is safe, permissible and financially prudent for us to resume activity.

“We must now focus our limited resources on our core business – and that is supporting our first team to deliver success on the pitch. That is what we are here to do.  This scaling back will have an impact on our people, and we enter into a period of consultation with them to discuss the potential impact on them.  I would like to thank the contribution and efforts of all of our staff during this difficult time.

“I would also like to thank our supporters who, recognising the threat to the club, have responded. Around 8500 Season Tickets for next season have sold so far, with more selling each day despite fans knowing that the timing and shape of next season is far from clear at this stage.

“Our “Thank You NHS” home shirt was launched to national acclaim and record sales. And with the 2019-20 season called early, with four home matches not played, less than 15 per cent of season ticket holders have requested a refund.

“We will get through this by all working together. Supporters, staff, management and players have all played their part so far, and I believe will continue to do so.”

Monies raised through the sale of season tickets for 2020-21 will help fund next season’s campaign. We welcome the announcement of a framework agreed between the SPFL and Sky which should see the top-flight of Scottish football resume in August.

With football facing a “behind closed doors” start to the season, the new framework means those who have already purchased season tickets for season 2020/21 now know they are guaranteed to see all home matches live until entry to stadiums returns.

Hibernian will soon announce full details of our package, which is being designed to give our season ticket holders the best possible value and a unique, exciting and enjoyable Hibernian matchday experience.

Leeann Dempster, Chief Executive, said: “I would add my thanks to Ron’s for the professionalism shown by our staff throughout this crisis.

“From the start, in light of the uncertainty around what shape next season will ultimately take, we have sought to ensure our supporters have the fullest understanding of the situation before us, and that includes what your ticket will secure for you.

“Any supporter who cannot commit to travel this difficult journey with us will be treated fairly, with respect, and with our understanding, but we hope and believe you will want to be with us every step of the way.

“We understand not everyone is able to help as they might like in these difficult times, however if you can help, we thank you for it.”

Guidance published to reopen childcare safely

Nurseries and other early learning and childcare (ELC) providers have received new guidance to help them plan for reopening when it is safe to do so.

Although some settings are providing critical childcare to vulnerable children and children of key workers, most will remain closed until later in the summer.

The new guidance sets out the core public health measures that will need to be taken to allow safe reopening, including:

• enhanced hand hygiene and cleaning practice
• caring for children in small groups and minimising contact between those groups
• maximising the use of outdoor space
• physical distancing between adults and older children at drop-off and pickup times.

The guidance was developed in partnership with Health Protection Scotland, local authorities, representatives of private and third-sector childcare providers, trade unions and the Care Inspectorate.

Children’s Minister Maree Todd (above) said: “We all want our youngest children to be back enjoying their nurseries and playing with friends as soon as possible. However, the safety of children and staff must come first, so nurseries and other childcare settings can only fully reopen when public health advice tells us it is safe to do so.

“This new guidance makes clear the principles that should be followed in preparing for staff and children to return. Our fantastic childcare practitioners know their settings best and they will be responsible for ensuring all necessary steps are taken to restart high-quality learning and care in a nurturing and safe environment.”

Guidance on reopening of ELC services

Job retention scheme shows we’re stronger together, says Briggs

Lothian list Conservative MSP Miles Briggs has praised the UK Government’s job retention scheme which has protected over 100,000 jobs in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

City of Edinburgh 58,400
West Lothian 21,700
East Lothian 12,500
Midlothian 11,200
Total 103,800

He says the UK Government’s job retention scheme is an excellent example of how Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom are stronger together.

The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented national and global crisis which the Scottish and UK government have responded to together.

The UK Government has provided further support to businesses and individuals in Scotland through the self-employed scheme, bounce back loans, VAT referrals and increases in welfare support such as Universal Credit, as well as an extra £3.8 billion in support through Barnett Consequential funding.

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, commented: “Lockdown in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 has been challenging for businesses throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians.

“The uncertainty caused by this pandemic has put tens of thousands of jobs at risk, which the job retention scheme has managed to make more secure.

“It is remarkable that the UK government has been able to protect so many jobs during this pandemic.

“We must now focus on getting the economy moving again so that Edinburgh and the Lothians can start recovering from the Covid-19 outbreak. I have called on SNP Ministers to establish a Recovery Taskforce for Edinburgh and the Lothians.”

Bank support helps plant hire firm through COVID-19 crisis

A Scottish plant hire business is keeping moving during the current crisis after securing support thanks to Bank of Scotland. 

Mulholland Plant Services Ltd in Polbeth, West Calder, has over 600 units of plant equipment and machinery available for hire to civil engineering, housebuilders, local authorities, and industrial contractors across the UK, using its own fleet of lorries and service engineers to provide UK coverage for their customers.

Due to the government’s UK-wide lockdown introduced in March, the business saw 95% of its customers, mainly in the construction sector, stop work immediately though local councils and railway services continued to hire equipment.

As a result of the lockdown, turnover in April fell significantly compared to the same period last year.

The downturn has forced the business to furlough 85% of its employees with the remaining members working to support customers that are still open. This includes staff to deliver machinery, field engineers to support customers remotely, and labour to service and prepare the machines.

In order to pay its suppliers, staff wages and deposits for new plant equipment, Mulholland Plant Services Ltd, approached Bank of Scotland for support. The business secured a loan as part of the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

George Mulholland, director at Mulholland Plant Services Ltd, said: “The construction sector is a key revenue pillar for us but restrictions imposed by the government meant most of our customers, 95%,  were forced to stop work at very short notice.

“Some of our local authorities and industrial contractor customers are still working throughout this crisis and need our services.

“With Bank of Scotland’s help, we’re able to continue supporting our customers that are currently working through what is a hugely challenging time for everyone.

“The funding will also help ensure we can pay our suppliers and equipment costs when business as usual resumes although it is unlikely to pick up as quickly as where we left in March.”

David Allan, relationship director at Bank of Scotland, said: “Planning a route through this stormy period is a huge hurdle for almost every business in Scotland.

“This is why we’re committed to being by the side of companies like Mulholland Plant Services Ltd to help them adapt and adjust in the short-term and come out of this unprecedented time in a strong position.”

Mimi’s Bakehouse supports Cyrenians through ‘pay it forward’ scheme

Mimi’s Bakehouse is offering its customers a fresh way to support homelessness charity Cyrenians with its ‘pay it forward’ scheme, delivering cakes and sweet treats for at-risk communities across Edinburgh.

Cyrenians, a Scottish charity tackling the causes and consequences of homelessness, has adapted many of its service as part of its response to COVID19.

Their Community Cook School, which provided classes to those at-risk or with experience of homelessness, is now a production kitchen cooking 5000 nutritious ready meals a week, delivering to communities across Edinburgh: from those suffering the injustice of food poverty, to frontline workers separated from their families.

Mimi’s Bakehouse is now offering their customers the opportunity to ‘pay it forward’ by purchasing a box of handcrafted cakes for donation to Cyrenians to include in their food deliveries.

Ashley Harley from Mimi’s Bakehouse said: “We were keen to work with Cyrenians as they are providing an invaluable service to our local community during this particularly difficult time and nothing spreads joy more than boxes of cake.

“We are very lucky to have a wonderful customer base that donated over 500 boxes of cake to the NHS during peak lockdown and we hope to continue supporting others as best we can going forward.”

Ewan Aitken, CEO, said: “It’s been staggering and humbling to see the way that communities across Scotland have come together during an exceptionally difficult time, and we’re incredibly grateful for this generous show of support from Mimi’s Bakehouse.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to be able to include these high-end products in our deliveries, letting people know how valued they are – I would like to extend a thank you from myself and from everyone at Cyrenians to Mimi’s Bakehouse, and to their customers in advance, for their compassion and generosity.”

Find out more https://mimisbakehouse.com/collections/pay-it-forward/products/pay-it-forward-cyerians-box

Hearts: We’ll see you in Court

The Scottish Professional Football League Board today announced that a league-wide consultation exercise has shown there is insufficient support for a new divisional structure and that the current 12-10-10-10 format will remain in place for Season 2020/21.

The SPFL decision will now be challlenged in the courts by Hearts, who have now been relegated. The Gorgie club says the decision is ‘unjust and unfair’.

16 of the 42 clubs favoured changing to a 14-10-10-10 structure, but this was short of the numbers required and, as a result, the SPFL Board has agreed to draw a line under reconstruction talks.

Separately, the ten Championship clubs have voted to approve a 27-game programme, with teams playing each other three times, rather than four.

Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPFL said: “In recent weeks, we’ve been consulting closely with our clubs regarding possible reconstruction and, based on the feedback we received, the board decided to ask all 42 clubs to give their views so that we could have absolute clarity, which we’ve achieved today.  

“Whilst a number of clubs were in favour of a new divisional set-up, the support for it was insufficient and we will now move forward with a fixture programme for Season 2020/21 based on the current 12-10-10-10 structure.

“Due to the restrictions forced upon us by the coronavirus outbreak, the Championship clubs also voted overwhelmingly to play each other three times next season, rather than four, which enables a later start to the Championship league season.

“Now that we have a confirmed structure for next season, the SPFL’s fixturing team will begin work on the Premiership fixture list, which will start on the weekend of 1 August, and the Championship fixture list, which will start on the weekend of 17 October.”

Discussions regarding arrangements for Leagues 1 and 2 remain ongoing.

In a statement issued this afternoon, Heart of Midlothian FC vowed to fight on. The club said:

‘The SPFL Board has today announced that any reconstruction proposals for season 2020/21 will not proceed to a vote due to a lack of support from other member clubs.

‘To say we are disappointed, yet sadly not surprised, at this outcome is, of course, an understatement. We have, from the outset, worked tirelessly with fellow clubs and the SPFL Board to try to find a solution that would right the most obvious wrongs that have been caused in Scottish football by decisions taken as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Hearts, along with many others, have stated repeatedly that no club should be disproportionately disadvantaged because of this crisis. This was the final opportunity for kinship to prevail and for Scottish football to stand together in an emergency. It is an unfortunate condemnation of Scottish football that this was not possible.

‘We thank those who were open minded, pragmatic and willing to come together to try and reach a fair outcome for all. Sadly, there were too few of us.

‘Now that all other avenues are closed, we are left with no choice but to proceed with a legal challenge.

‘The club has tried throughout these last few months to avoid this course of action but we must now do the right thing by our supporters, our employees, our players and our sponsors, all of whom have been unwavering in their commitment and support.  We can hold our heads up high as we have acted at all times with integrity, common sense and with the best interests of Scottish football at heart.

‘We have stated from the beginning that the unjust and unfair treatment of Hearts, Partick Thistle, Stranraer and indeed other clubs cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.  While many weeks have been wasted in trying to find a solution, we must now formally challenge this outcome.

‘The club can confirm that the necessary steps have been taken to begin this legal challenge.  Given that this is now an active legal matter, the club will be offering no further comment at this time.

‘To our amazing fans we say that we cannot, and will not, sit idly by and watch the decisions made in the past few months further damage Heart of Midlothian Football Club. Thank you for fighting for us, now allow us to do the same for you.’

Everything you need to know about getting a mortgage during Covid-19

Covid-19 is impacting many families and individuals in very different ways. But with so many of us spending more time at home than ever before, many people are thinking about whether they can move or extend to gain more space, or just taking advantage of lower interest rates.

The housing market is now opening up and rates are changing yet many people are unsure about whether mortgages are available for them.

TSB’s Head of Mortgages, Nick Smith answers some important questions on getting a mortgage in the current environment: 

Can I still get a mortgage in the current environment?

Yes, you can. However, getting a mortgage really depends on individual circumstances. Think about your personal situation – is your income sustainable? Are you happy with the deposit you’ve built?

If you’re planning to get a mortgage, speak to your lender or broker openly about your financial situation and they will be able to advise on the best options for you.

Can I physically view properties?

Estate agents are opening up and you should be able to do physical viewings in England. But in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales viewings are not yet permitted.

If you’d prefer an electronic viewing – speak to your agent, they can likely help you, although for many people, nothing can replace the sense of space and perspective you get from being physically in the property.

Can I get a valuation or survey done on a house I want to buy?

Yes, most lenders are now conducting physical valuations where electronic valuations have not been possible.

Most surveyors will be taking their precautionary measures with full PPE equipment, therefore ensuring the homeowner’s safety as well as their own.

However, more and more lenders are using electronic valuations, which are very accurate and can be done very quickly. Remember – the valuation done by your mortgage lender is to satisfy themselves that the house is a good security for your loan.

I’d always advise when buying a new house that you consider a more detailed survey for your own benefit and peace of mind. The RICS consumer guide to home surveys on their website is a useful guide to your different options.

Are first time buyers impacted more than second time buyers?

No, they’re not. It really depends on how much equity you have either as a first-time buyer or those remortgaging/buying a second property.

If you’re looking to remortgage just remember you don’t have to move to a new bank/lender. All major providers will offer a product transfer which means that you can move to a lower rate.

Is there anything I need to be aware of when applying for a mortgage in this environment?

There are a few things to bear in mind. Crucially, it’s important to think about your financial situation. Has your income changed recently? Will you be able to make payments now and in the future? When speaking to your lender/broker, provide as much information as you can about your income. Ultimately, they will want to protect you as much as possible, so that you can comfortably meet your payments and not find yourself in a financially vulnerable position.

For example, consider the following when speaking to your mortgage advisor: have you been working more overtime than normal lately? Will this continue in the future or will your hours and overtime reduce?

Most lenders will lend to those who have been furloughed but each lender will have their own lending criteria. Your mortgage advisor will be able to help with the best options for you. For more complex income circumstances, a specialist mortgage broker will be able to talk through your options.

The physical process of buying a house has also changed very slightly – there will be more social distancing for example and so it is likely a mortgage meeting will take place over the phone rather than face to face.

A mortgage meeting over the phone is easier to book in whereas face to face is a little more difficult at the moment. The Government has recently issued detailed guidance on how house viewings should be conducted with social distancing in mind.

With the rapid market changes, we’ve also seen banks responding very quickly and reintroducing higher loan to value products. At the moment, most banks have reintroduced lending up to 85% of the value of the property – so there are more mortgages becoming available again for those with a 15% deposit. Do your research and speak to your advisor about the best mortgages for you.

If I’ve been offered a mortgage is my bank obliged to offer it if my circumstances change?

No, they’re not. Offers can only be withdrawn under certain limited conditions but this includes a change in income. If your circumstances change, speak to your lender or broker as soon as possible.  It’s important to remember that they will always want to ensure you can afford repayments now and in the future and they will work with you to find the best options for you.

I’m thinking about enlarging my home to create more space – how do I get a mortgage for this?

You have three options to consider, and the best option for you will depend on a number of things, such as how much additional money you need to borrow, how much your house is worth, and whether your current mortgage is still in a period where early repayment charges apply.

Option 1: would be to speak to your existing mortgage provider about a “Further Advance” – essentially borrowing more money on your existing mortgage. This is likely to be the quickest option to get funds in your bank account, as there’s no change in lender, but you should weigh up both the convenience and the cost, as it won’t necessarily be the cheapest option.

Option 2: would be to move your entire mortgage to a new lender under a remortgage process, taking additional borrowing as part of your application. If you want to take this option, be careful to speak to your existing lender about any early repayment costs associated with your current mortgage.

Option 3: would be to take out what’s known as a “second charge” loan – this is where a new lender advances you the money, accepting that if you default on your mortgage and your house is repossessed, they only get funds from your property once the first-change lender (i.e. your main mortgage) has recovered their debts. As a result, these are usually more expensive interest rates, and are less common in the market.

If the above options don’t appeal, or if you don’t have much equity in your property, you could also consider an unsecured loan.

Whilst interest rates are usually higher than on mortgages / further advances, there is some flexibility in taking a separate unsecured loan, as long as you can afford both payments, and most mainstream lenders will offer up to anywhere between £25k and £50k as their maximum unsecured loan amount.

Do note though, repayment terms are usually shorter, so these will almost always have a higher monthly repayment.

I’m not feeling confident about buying in the current environment, what should I do with my deposit?

If you’re feeling uncertain about buying a house right now, think about when you believe you might feel ready. When thinking about where to put your hard-earned deposit, consider whether you really want it tied-up.

If there’s a chance that you might find somewhere you would love to buy in six months, then putting your deposit in a longer fixed-term savings account, where you might forfeit interest if you withdraw early, probably isn’t the right thing to do, even if it has a slightly better interest rate.

Equally, you should think very carefully before moving any of your deposit into stocks, shares or funds, where the value could go down as well as up – what if the value has decreased at a time you want to buy? Would that be a problem for you?

If so, now probably isn’t the time for that sort of investment. Speak to your bank about your options, they can assist and talk you through what is suitable for you and your circumstances.

Nick Smith, TSB’s Head of Mortgages, concludes: “The market is changing rapidly and we are seeing some confidence grow in the housing market, which will be welcome news for those eager to buy a new home or to remortgage.

“There are mortgages available, but you will need to remember to do your research and have open discussions with your mortgage advisor.”