A ‘Nightingale court’ has opened in Taunton, joining the national effort to tackle the impact of coronavirus on the criminal justice system.
- Taunton Nightingale court begins hearing cases this week
- 42 temporary courtrooms now in operation nationwide
- part of government’s plan to ensure justice continues throughout the pandemic
The council-owned space conveniently adjoins Taunton Magistrates’ Court and was previously used to train councillors in how to write budgets and deliver speeches. The venue will host both a magistrates’ and a Crown courtroom – providing vital capacity to minimise delays.
Temporary Nightingale courts, have been set up
across the country to enable more socially distanced trials to take place, ensuring justice continues to be served.This is because more space is required than was previously the case due to the need to keep everyone distanced in court buildings – such as jurors, witnesses, staff, legal professionals and judges.
Courts Minister, Chris Philp MP, said:
This new Nightingale court will help to reduce delays and deliver speedier justice for victims in Taunton, and I’m grateful to Somerset County Council for providing the building.
This is part of our efforts to ensure courts recover as quickly as possible from the pandemic - building on progress which has already seen magistrates’ backlogs fall and the number of cases being dealt with in the crown court reach pre-pandemic levels in December.
The Ministry of Justice has spared no expense in its continued efforts to keep the justice system running during this pandemic.
£142m has been spent on upgrading court buildings and technology, alongside £110m to increase capacity – making over a quarter of a billion-pound investment in court recovery this year.
1,600 extra staff are being hired, plexiglass screens set up in more than 450 rooms, 20,000 remote hearings take place each week, and over 290 covid-safe jury trial courtrooms are now in operation.
The impact of these measures is already being seen. The backlog in the magistrates’ courts has fallen consistently since August last year and in the full week before Christmas, Crown Courts resolved more cases than they received for the first time since the covid pandemic began.
These efforts will be supported by an extra £337m announced in the recent Spending Review to deliver swifter justice and support victims in 2021 to 2022, while £76m will further increase capacity in family courts and tribunals.
Every HMCTS building – including Nightingale courts - meets the government’s covid-secure guidelines, and public health experts have confirmed the arrangements remain sufficient to deal with the current strains of the virus.
UK-Peru Trade Dialogue: A new relationship for a global future
Trade ministers from the United Kingdom and Peru met on February 4 2021, to chart a new course for our historically close trading relationship.
They welcomed the ratification of the UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement and agreed to use it to find new opportunities to increase trade and investment flows, modernise markets, reduce trade barriers and diversify trade in goods and services, with a specific focus on agribusiness, greening our economies and protecting the environment.
Ministers agreed to work together to address the great global challenges that face us:
On Covid recovery, Ministers were clear about the continued role of free and open trade in ‘building back better’ and considered that the UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement will help the recovery of our businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises. They highlighted UK support to Peru through the International Programme Fund, facilitation of access to vaccines, donation of ventilators and research projects on Covid-19 impact in Peru funded by UK Research & Innovation.
On climate change, Ministers recalled the global objective of a rapid transition to low-carbon economies, and reiterated their commitment to promote the sustainable use of natural resources.
Ministers discussed UK objectives for COP26 and committed to ensure that trade plays its role in delivering a zero-carbon future. They agreed to pursue trade and investment measures that promote and facilitate access, dissemination and use of best available technologies for clean energy production and use, and for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.
Ministers agreed on the importance of transitioning energy systems and to address as a matter of urgency any barriers to entry for cutting edge clean technologies, particularly in the energy sector.
On market access, Ministers agreed to continue exchanging information on sanitary and phytosanitary legislation, as well as regulatory co-operation, to be precise about the requirements of both parties and avoid unnecessary trade disruptions.
On clean and sustainable growth, Ministers agreed the need to encourage the highest environmental standards in our trade policies and agreed to collaborate on promoting the production and export of goods that protect and promote the sustainable use of biodiversity.
Ministers highlighted the importance of creating new openings for business expertise and excellence through improving procurement processes and that a double taxation agreement will improve business activities in both countries.
Ministers reaffirmed the UK and Peru’s shared belief in open and liberalised markets, and they agreed on the need to make sure that its benefits continue to be shared widely.
Both Ministers welcomed UK formal notification of application to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Ministers discussed the growth potential of the region and their wish for deeper co-operation in different sectors. Ministers agreed that there is more we can do to expand our trade in digital products and services. They tasked officials to deliver a joint action plan to increase services trade by the end of 2021, including initiatives on agritech and e-commerce.
Finally, Ministers committed to work together to help maintain free and fair trade as a driver of global prosperity and recovery, including working to reform global trade institutions to embed our shared values of openness, transparency and multilateralism.
Information for Help to Buy: Equity Loan customers during Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Buying a home is exciting, daunting and at times quite stressful. We appreciate that this is a worrying time while you wait for approval for Help to Buy or the keys to your new home.
We’re giving you and your homebuilder more time. You now have until 31 May to get the keys to your new home. There will be no more extensions, so ask your homebuilder and conveyancer to make sure you can complete on time.
There are many questions about what COVID-19 means for Help to Buy: Equity Loan customers and we aim to answer some of these below.
If you have a question that your homebuilder or conveyancer cannot answer, please get in touch with your Help to Buy agent. Calls and emails may take longer to respond to in the current circumstances.
Find your Help to Buy agent’s contact details here
Frequently asked questions
Section 1 – Extending the current equity loan scheme
Are you extending the current Help to Buy scheme?
Help to Buy will end on 31 March 2021, but homebuyers using the current scheme will have more time to complete their purchase. We are extending legal completion to 31 May 2021 due to delays caused by Coronavirus. This allows an extra 2 months for homebuilders to complete the build and for homebuyers to legally complete and get the keys to their home.
There will be no more extensions, so we are asking homebuilders to continue to build at pace. Please check with your homebuilder and conveyancer that you’re able to meet these dates. A new Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme open to first-time buyers only will be available from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2023. Find out more about Help to Buy 2021-2023.
Can I apply for the current scheme before it ends in March 2021?
Applications for the 2013-2021 scheme closed on 15 December 2020.
What happens if I can’t complete my purchase on time?
If your build is severely delayed and you cannot meet the legal completion by 31 May 2021, your homebuilder must unconditionally release you from the contract. Contact your conveyancer for advice.
If I don’t complete buying my home on time I will lose money, what should I do?
Your homebuilder must refund your reservation fee if you do not go ahead with buying the home. If you have already received an Authority to Proceed from us, your homebuilder may be entitled to make certain deductions from your reservation fee, but they must tell you about these first. If you exchanged contracts the homebuilder must also return your deposit. There are no other fees to apply for a Help to Buy: Equity Loan but you may still have to pay for independent legal or financial advice you have received.
I made an “Early Bird” reservation with my homebuilder in March 2020, but did not make a full reservation until July 2020 – do I qualify for the extension?
‘Early bird’ schemes are provided by the homebuilder and are not part of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme. The legal completion date for your home purchase will be taken from the date you fully reserved with Help to Buy: Equity Loan. This is when your application for an equity loan began.
What is the last date we can reserve a new home under the Help to Buy: Equity Loan (2013-2021) scheme?
The final date for homebuilders to take reservations under Help to Buy: Equity Loan (2013-2021) scheme was Tuesday 15 December 2020. This was to allow enough time for sales to legally complete before the scheme ends. It would have been irresponsible to allow sales to go ahead any later as homebuyers will not be eligible for funding if they do not legally complete on time.
When does the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme change?
The Help to Buy: Equity Loan (2021-2023) scheme for first-time buyers only starts on 1 April 2021 and it ends 31 March 2023.
When can I apply for Help to Buy: Equity Loan (2021-2023)?
First-time homebuyers who are eligible for Help to Buy: Equity Loan (2021-2023) can apply from 16 December 2020. You will be able to reserve your home with a registered homebuilder and complete a Property Information Form needed by your Help to Buy agent to start your application.
Who do I need to get in touch with to discuss my Help to Buy application?
Your Help to Buy agent can help you to progress your application to get an equity loan. Your homebuilder can answer questions about when your home will be ready to move into.
Section 2 – Authority to Proceed
Will my Help to Buy: Equity Loan Authority to Proceed still be valid?
Some mortgage lenders have committed to keeping existing mortgage offers open for 3 months. If your repayment mortgage lender has agreed to this, your Authority to Proceed will be extended up to the expiry date of your existing mortgage offer. This is in line with current guidelines.
My Authority to Proceed is based on a valuation carried out before the lockdown started. What happens if the value of the home I’m buying has fallen?
The Government will continue to honour Help to Buy: Equity Loans agreed with homebuyers before the lockdown. We won’t need a revaluation if your main mortgage lender is happy to proceed.
Section 3 – Valuations
Will you accept desktop valuations instead of onsite valuations during COVID-19?
Yes. If your repayment mortgage lender is using a desktop valuation to support its mortgage offer, that is acceptable for Help to Buy: Equity Loan.
I want to repay my Help to Buy: Equity Loan, can a surveyor come to my home to do a valuation report?
Surveyors are free to visit properties to carry out surveys. Surveyors should follow the latest government guidance and all public health guidance on social distancing.
I need a survey for my remortgage and there is a long wait for a surveyor visit, what can I do?
We are prepared to accept a desktop valuation, if you are able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances. Each application for a desktop valuation will be considered at our discretion on a case by case basis. This means you can get a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) surveyor to provide a desktop valuation. You’ll need to meet certain requirements for the desktop valuation.
What are the requirements for a desktop valuation?
A desktop valuation can be carried out without a surveyor visiting your home if it meets these requirements:
The surveyor must be approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). You can find an approved surveyor on the RICS website
The surveyor must be independent of the estate agent looking after the sale of the property (if applicable). The surveyor must not be related or known to you, to avoid any conflict of interest
The survey must be provided on headed paper of the surveying company or approved surveyor (if they’re a sole trader), signed by the RICS surveyor, and addressed to Homes England. It needs to be in PDF or another non-editable document format
The surveyor must list at least 3 comparable properties and sale prices. These properties must be like-for-like in terms of type, size, age and within a two-mile radius of the property being valued, as per RICS guidance
How long will the desktop valuation be valid for?
Desktop valuation reports are valid for 3 months from the date of the report.
Section 4 – Reservations
I’ve reserved a new home off-plan on a development site, will it be ready on time?
Most homebuilders have returned to work on sites, but not all are taking the same approach. Contact your homebuilder to find out about their situation.
I’ve reserved a home and have the go-ahead for a Help to Buy: Equity Loan, but I’ve lost my job due to COVID-19. Can I pull out of the purchase?
Depending on your situation, homebuilders have the option to partly refund the reservation fee of up to £500 if you need to cancel. They’ll follow the reservation terms and conditions and can charge for any reasonable costs they may have incurred.
Contact your homebuilder to understand your options. If you’ve already agreed a repayment mortgage with a lender, you need to contact them to explain your change in circumstances and to discuss next steps.
Section 5 - Completions
Can I still move, during a lockdown?
Yes. At the moment, the housing market remains open. Everyone should continue to play their part in reducing the spread of the virus by following the current guidance. Here is the government’s advice on moving during COVID-19.
Can the home building industry continue to work?
Yes, home building can continue in line with sector guidance. The Home Builders Federation has also published a Charter for working safely during COVID-19.
My Authority to Proceed with a Help to Buy: Equity Loan has expired, and I’m worried I’m going to lose my home. What can I do?
Get in touch with your Help to Buy agent urgently and ask for an extension on your Authority to Proceed. This will allow your home purchase to continue. You should check that your repayment mortgage offer will remain valid if a new completion date is agreed.
I’ve exchanged contracts on a new home and have a Help to Buy: Equity Loan agreed, will I be able to complete my purchase?
Yes. As long as you have a valid repayment mortgage offer on the date of completion and are able to legally complete your purchase by the agreed date.
If you’ve exchanged contracts and are concerned about your completion date and you need to extend your repayment mortgage offer, please contact your lender.
I am in my home, but I have a snagging issue that I want the homebuilder to fix. Are they able to come to my home?
The first thing to do is speak to your homebuilder. Where possible the homebuilder should investigate remotely using video or photo evidence. If this is not possible, when the inspector visits your home, you must follow the government guidance to minimise contact and remain 2 metres apart at all times.
Section 6 – Equity loan interest payment holidays
I’m struggling to pay my equity loan interest payments as I’m not working due to COVID-19, are you offering payment holidays?
Payments holidays on equity loans are available until 31 March 2021. If you have not applied for a payment holiday on your equity loan, get in touch to understand if you are eligible.
As soon as you can afford to repay your equity loan, please get in touch to let us know.
You can apply if you:
Have contracted COVID-19
Need to care for a family member who has COVID-19
Are a permanent, temporary, full-time employee or contractor and had your working hours reduced either temporarily or permanently
Are a business owner or self-employed and your business has been affected
If you have already had a payment holiday, you may be able to apply for a further 3 months.
If you have already had 2 periods that equal a total of 6 months you will not be eligible to apply for another payment holiday.
Apply now using this online form to see if you’re eligible.
Interest will continue to be added to your equity loan and any payments you do not make during the payment holiday period must be paid when you settle your equity loan.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact our equity loan administrator customer service to understand your payment options.
Payment holidays may not be the best option. It is important you understand your options before you make a decision.
What happens at the end of my payment holiday?
As soon as you can afford to begin repaying at the normal rate, please get in touch to let us know. Otherwise, your equity loan payments will automatically return to the normal monthly amount when the agreed payment holiday period ends.
The important thing to remember is that the amount you owe will increase by the interest amount that has not been paid during your payment holiday. Also, during your payment holiday, interest will continue to be added to your account at the same rate as is in your loan agreement. A repayment plan will need to be set up to settle the outstanding amount at the end of your payment break.
Section 7 - Remortgaging
I am in the middle of remortgaging and this involves a legal Deed of Postponement, will you accept an electronic signature on this phase of lockdown?
Currently the Land Registry needs a ’wet signature’ on deeds, so we’ve put in place a manual process to do this. However, given the current situation it’s taking longer than usual, but rest assured that we’re still completing all legal requirements for deeds. If you’re concerned about whether your lender will need a wet signature for mortgage documentation you should contact them directly.
Section 8 - Stamp duty
Does the announcement about stamp duty exemption apply to Help to Buy customers?
Yes, if you are buying a home up to the value of £500,000 and legally complete your purchase between 8 July 2020 and 31 March 2021, you do not have to pay stamp duty.
The information on my Authority to Proceed or Authority to Exchange still includes details of stamp duty. Do I need to get this changed?
We don’t want to slow down your purchase and have decided not to reissue or amend paperwork. Your homebuilder and conveyancer will be able to make any changes that are needed.
My homebuilder agreed to pay my stamp duty as an incentive to buy, what should I do?
This is an agreement between you and your homebuilder. Please speak to your homebuilder and solicitor about the options available to you.
When do you normally pay stamp duty?
Stamp Duty is payable on legal completion. Help to Buy: Equity Loan homebuyers who have exchanged contracts and are waiting to complete can benefit from the announcement about stamp duty exemption.
Government to bring an end to unsafe cladding with multi-billion pound intervention
- Housing Secretary announces the government will pay for the removal of unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in high-rise buildings, providing reassurance and protecting them from costs
- New levy and tax on developers to ensure industry contributes
- Measures will boost the housing market and free up homeowners to once again buy and sell their properties
Hundreds of thousands of leaseholders will be protected from the cost of replacing unsafe cladding on their homes, as Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick unveiled a five-point plan which will provide reassurance to homeowners and bring confidence to the housing market.
With an unprecedented £5 billion investment in building safety, including £3.5 billion announced today (10 February 2021), the Housing Secretary confirmed to the House of Commons that the government will fully fund the cost of replacing unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in residential buildings 18 metres (6 storeys) and over in England.
This will ensure funding is targeted at the highest risk buildings in line with longstanding independent expert advice and evidence, with Home Office analysis of fire and rescue service statistics showing buildings between 18 and 30 metres are four times as likely to suffer a fire with fatalities or serious casualties than apartment buildings in general.
Lower-rise buildings, with a lower risk to safety, will gain new protection from the costs of cladding removal with a generous new scheme offered to buildings between 11 and 18 metres. This will pay for cladding removal – where it is needed – through a long-term, low interest, government-backed financing arrangement.
Under the scheme, no leaseholder will ever pay more than £50 a month towards the removal of unsafe cladding. This will provide reassurance and security to leaseholders, and mortgage providers can be confident that where cladding removal is needed, properties will be worth lending against.
The government is working with industry to reduce the need for EWS1 forms, preventing leaseholders from facing delays and allowing hundreds of thousands of homes to be sold, bought, or re-mortgaged once again.
The Housing Secretary today announced plans to introduce a, ‘Gateway 2’ developer levy. The proposed levy will be targeted and apply when developers seek permission to develop certain high-rise buildings in England.
In addition, a new tax will be introduced for the UK residential property development sector. This will raise at least £2 billion over a decade to help pay for cladding remediation costs. The tax will ensure that the largest property developers make a fair contribution to the remediation programme, reflecting the benefit they will derive from restoring confidence to the UK housing market. The government will consult on the policy design in due course.
The government will protect future generations from similar mistakes by bringing forward legislation this year to tighten the regulation of building safety and to review the construction products regime to prevent malpractice arising again.
Today’s measures will mean people living in homes which they have been prevented from selling, or re-mortgaging, through no fault of their own, will now be able to move on with their lives.
Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
This is a comprehensive plan to remove unsafe cladding, support leaseholders, restore confidence to this part of the housing market and ensure this situation never arises again.
Our unprecedented intervention means the hundreds of thousands of leaseholders who live in higher-rise buildings will now pay nothing towards the cost of removing unsafe cladding.
Remedying the failures of building safety cannot just be a responsibility for taxpayers. That is why we will also be introducing a levy and tax on developers to contribute to righting the wrongs of the past.
These measures will provide certainty to residents and lenders, boosting the housing market, reinstating the value of properties and getting buying and selling homes back on track. We are working with lenders and surveyors to make this happen.
Our landmark intervention will make homes safer and free those who did the right thing – saving for years to get on the property ladder – to enjoy the homes in which they have invested so much.
Barclays:
Barclays welcomes this announcement as a positive step forward. These changes will bring greater certainty and clarity for homeowners, prospective buyers and surveyors.
We expect that will make it far easier for buyers, sellers and lenders to value properties, aiding this part of the housing market to start moving again.
Barclays remains open to support our customers and prospective buyers with any of their home ownership needs, including in this part of the market.
Joe Garner – CEO Nationwide Building Society said:
Nationwide welcomes the £3.5 billion grant funding the government has announced to ensure the cladding on peoples’ home is safe and to protect the people who live in them. This is a decisive step forward which we hope brings some relief to people worried about the safety of their homes.
Supporting people who find themselves living in this difficult position could not be more important. We look forward to working with government, lenders and other interested parties to understand the details and implement the initiative quickly.
The government is aware that securing appropriate professional indemnity insurance to cover the completion of EWS1 forms is a major barrier to qualified professionals undertaking EWS1 forms. The government is therefore committing today to work towards a targeted, state-backed indemnity scheme for qualified professionals unable to obtain professional indemnity insurance for the completion of EWS1 forms.
The government will work closely with industry to design an appropriate scheme. Further details on the scheme, including eligibility and the claims process, will be provided in the coming weeks.
The Grenfell tragedy laid bare failings in the building industry dating back 30 years. Today’s announcement is a further step by the government to bring about the biggest changes to building safety in a generation, ensuring people are safe and feel safe in their own homes.
The measures build on steps already taken to support leaseholders, including £1.6 billion of funding to remediate unsafe cladding, the £30 million Waking Watch fund to help end unfair and excessive costs and new legislation in the Building Safety Bill which will ensure homes are made and kept safer in future.
Further information
Five-point plan to bring an end to unsafe cladding
- Government will pay for the removal of unsafe cladding for leaseholders in all residential buildings 18 metres and over (6 storeys) in England
- Generous finance scheme to provide reassurance for leaseholders in buildings between 11 and 18 metres (4 to 6 storeys), ensuring they never pay more than £50 a month for cladding removal
- An industry levy and tax to ensure developers play their part
- A world-class new safety regime to ensure a tragedy like Grenfell never happens again
- Providing confidence to this part of the housing market including lenders and surveyors
All buildings 18 metres and over will be covered by the fund. See further detail on building eligibility
See Home Office analysis of fires and fatalities statistics. Statistics were provided by fire and rescue services via the Incident Recording System and building data from Ordnance Survey.
A new tax will be introduced for the UK residential property development sector in 2022.
Government supports the guidance produced by RICS as an appropriate, risk-based and proportionate basis on which to proceed with valuation assessments, in line with the building safety Consolidated Advice Note published in January 2020.
In addition government will work with industry to ensure consistency between the RICS guidance, the forthcoming BSI Publicly Available Specification 9980 for cladding fire risk assessment, the imminent guidance on conducting Fire Risk Assessments as part of the clarified Fire Safety Order and the regulatory requirements flowing from the forthcoming Building Safety Bill.
The devolved administrations will receive additional funding through the Barnett formula, except where new departmental spending is funded by an England-only levy (where the devolved administrations can instead implement their own levies should they choose to do so).
Further supportive quotes
Lloyds:
The proposals announced today for the new fund will bring a welcome peace of mind to those living in high rise properties and should make it easier for homeowners and homebuyers to access mortgages. We also welcome the government’s endorsement of the draft RICS guidelines which should provide much-needed clarity and consistency for lenders, surveyors and homeowners.
Santander:
We welcome the announcement that the government is looking to introduce new ways to protect residents from the dangers of unsafe cladding and remove the uncertainty that many have been experiencing. We look forward to working with the government as more details become available in the coming weeks.
Natwest:
We welcome the progress from the government in the extension of funds that will help homebuyers and leaseholders who have been affected by this issue. We are looking forward to continuing to work with government and regulators on this to support safe and sustainable homebuying for our customers in the future.
HSBC:
We welcome this move by the government to help those people who have been impacted by this cladding issue through no fault of their own. These proposals will help homeowners, residents and landlords to repair properties where issues have been identified. It means that surveyors can accurately value these properties and that banks and building societies can support homeowners with the mortgage solutions they need. HSBC sees this as a very positive move by the government.
The Institution of Fire Engineers:
IFE welcomes the positive action taken by RICS to develop this guidance to support valuers in adopting a risk-based approach for valuation assessments. IFE will continue to engage with RICS, the government and lenders to help refine the guidance to ensure ongoing compatibility with other fire safety guidance and legislation.
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Magnox supports scheme to tackle food poverty
Bwyd Da Môn is a collaboration between many organisations including Isle of Anglesey County Council, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Ynys Môn Citizens Advice, Coleg Llandrillo Menai and Anglesey Food Bank.
£8,540 has been donated from the Magnox socio-economic fund to purchase commercial fridges and freezers for a new community not-for-profit shop in Llangefni.
Bwyd Da Môn serves the whole of Anglesey, tackling food poverty and reducing food waste. The shop is a membership-based food club which re-distributes excess fresh produce from local supermarkets and food producers that would otherwise go to landfill.
Stuart Law, Wylfa Site Director, said:
Magnox is proud to support this great initiative which provides a valuable service to the whole of Anglesey during these difficult times.
Working alongside our stakeholders in the community, we have helped a number of organisations and charities to achieve their goals by providing funding and support. It is our intention to make sure that our socio‑economic activity continues to deliver positive outcomes and make the greatest possible impact.
In December alone, Bwyd Da Môn handed out over 120 parcels, with volunteers giving up more than 150 hours of their time in the run up to Christmas.
Glynne Roberts, Chair of Bwyd Da Môn, added:
Bwyd Da Môn is an invaluable scheme which will enable the residents of Anglesey to access good quality food at an affordable price, and to play their part in eradicating food waste.
But the scheme can only thrive due to the support received from partner organisations in helping us to set up the different elements that are essential to the project. In this respect, the funding provided from Magnox enabled us to purchase high quality fridges and freezers, which are a core element of the overall project, and will be crucial to our success.
Bwyd Da Môn is now working on building up stock levels and developing ready meals with food waste that needs to be used immediately. In the future it also hopes to introduce a community cooking skills education programme where families will be encouraged to produce fresh home-cooked, nutritious meals.
Magnox is committed to providing and enabling socio-economic support for the communities in which it operates. Our community investment is supported by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
New UK Government Covid testing site opens in Glasgow Castlemilk
The UK Government has today, Wednesday 10 February, opened a new walk-through coronavirus testing centre at Barlia Sports Complex in Glasgow Castlemilk (G45 9UH).
The test centre is part of the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities created in British history. In Scotland, this comprises of seven drive through sites, 29 walk-through sites, 35 mobile units, plus the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab which is working round the clock to process samples.
In Scotland, the UK Government is providing all Covid testing and test processing outside of the NHS. Around two thirds of all daily tests are provided by the UK Government, in support of Scotland’s health services.
Tests must be booked in advance at NHS Inform or by calling 0800 028 2816. People should only book at test if they have coronavirus symptoms (a high temperature, a new and continuous cough, or a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste).
Health Minister Lord Bethell said:
To respond to the coronavirus, we have built a major testing and tracing system from scratch. We are constantly working to expand and improve it with new technologies and innovations so everyone with symptoms can get a test.
New walk-in sites like this one makes it even easier to get a test no matter where you live. If you have symptoms of coronavirus, I urge you to book a test today and follow the advice of NHS Test and Protect if you are contacted to protect others and stop the spread of the virus.
Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, said:
Walk-through sites offer communities better access to coronavirus testing, so everyone with symptoms can get a test. This new site is part of our ongoing work to expand our testing network across the UK which now has the capacity to process more than 700,000 tests a day. We will continue to expand capacity to improve test turnaround times and push forward testing innovations to make sure anyone who needs a test can get one.
Please book a test if you have coronavirus symptoms: a new continuous cough, a high temperature and a loss or change in sense of smell or taste, and follow the advice of NHS Test and Protect if you are contacted.
UK Government Minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart said
The UK Government is doing everything it can to support people in all parts of the UK through the pandemic.
Testing continues to play an important role how we manage the virus alongside the roll out of vaccines, helping to identify local outbreaks, slow down the rate of transmission and protect communities. I would like to thank the public for continuing to do the right thing and come forward to be tested when they display symptoms.
The UK Government continues to provide the bulk of testing in Scotland, with this new walk-through centre in Glasgow just the latest in our extensive network. We have also secured and paid for millions of doses of the Pfizer and Oxford vaccines for all parts of the UK.
Hope is on the horizon, but we can’t let up on our efforts to contain the virus.
Dr Linda De Caestecker, Director for Public Health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said:
We welcome the additional testing facility in Castlemilk which will make it easier for more people to access testing during this crucial period.
Testing, working alongside other control measures will be key to helping control and minimise the spread of the virus in our communities. I would encourage people to get tested with any symptoms suggestive of COVID, no matter how mild they are.
Simon Venn, Mitie Chief Government & Strategy Officer, said:
Our priority during the pandemic is to support the nation’s efforts to fight COVID-19 and help keep the country running. Testing is a critical part of the UK’s strategy to combat coronavirus and we’re proud to support the UK Government with this vital task. A big thank you to all the NHS staff, Mitie employees and other frontline heroes in Glasgow, who are working tirelessly to keep us all safe.
GFSL introduce solar energy to meet net zero carbon targets by 2025
After 6 months of planning, GFSL is about to introduce a series of environmentally friendly upgrades which will reduce carbon emissions by more than 2,300 tonnes.
At HMP Bure near Norwich in Norfolk, they will reduce reliance on the existing electric load by 17% and save 79 tonnes of CO2 per year by installing rooftop solar panels. It’s due to be completed by the end of March 2021. A second project under way in Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire uses ground based solar panels and is scheduled for completion in July.
GFSL Energy Services Manager Stewart Grew, explains:
This is a prime example of using clean energy to create ‘eco-prisons’ and not just meet, but exceed the Ministry of Justice’s carbon reduction targets by 2025. We also have other interesting projects in the pipeline like an LED lighting replacement programme and the installation of heat pumps and biomass boilers.
GFSL CEO Paul Ryder adds:
We’re proud of all the innovation and hard work which goes into our transition to clean energy sources rolled out across all of the southern England sites. Not only are we exceeding our carbon emission targets, we’re also saving considerable sums of public money on maintenance budgets.
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