Neil Weston, Principal of Scout Financial Services welcomed the announcement: We are thrilled to see Government support for first time buyers included in the Chancellor’s Budget today. We have been calling for greater support for mortgage lenders in this space for a while now and action on this was promised by the PM back in October, so it’s great to finally see a plan in place. Whilst the availability of mortgages for 90% of the purchase price has improved recently, the market has remained restricted by tight lending criteria and the lack of high loan-to-value mortgages. More support for lenders to lend a higher percentage of the purchase price will no doubt be welcomed across the industry and by first time buyers. However, many first time buyers may find themselves in a tricky position where they will now have enough money saved for a deposit, but they are unable to secure a mortgage as a result of being furloughed.