WIREDGOV

Over 33 local authorities have reached the final stages of the national Local Land Charges Awards for their achievements and outstanding work in providing local land charges services for their communities.

The prestigious national awards acknowledge the work and achievements of local land charges officers across England and Wales, celebrating those local authorities who are pushing boundaries in an increasingly challenging environment.  The winners will be announced at an awards dinner on 24th February 2014 in Bristol, actor Shaun Williamson (best known for his former role as Barry Evans in EastEnders) will host the awards ceremony.

 

Awards will be presented in 5 categories plus the lifetime achievement award, which will be presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the local land charges sector.

 

The awards are organised by Land Data, the National Land and Information Service (NLIS) regulator and are now on their 7^th year.

 

Jan Boothroyd, Chief Executive of Land Data, comments: “We are very proud to host the awards ceremony that recognises the excellent work of local authority local land charges. Despite increasing pressure from cuts and reduced budgets we are delighted to see so many departments rising above the challenges and improving and promoting high standards.”

 

 

This year’s awards are sponsored by the NLIS Hub, Thames Water Property Searches, the Local Land Charges Institute and SearchFlow.

 

 

The short listed finalists (in alphabetical order) are:

 

• Customer Satisfaction for Local Authority Searches –

   

Barnsley Council

 

Birmingham City Council

 

Torridge District Council

 

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

 

West Devon Borough Council

 

 

• Most improved NLIS (National Land Information Service) services -  

   

Ashfield District Council

 

Barnet London Borough Council

 

Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council

 

Brentwood Borough Council

 

Eden District Council

 

Gateshead Borough Council

 

Hartlepool Borough Council

 

Kingston Upon Hull City Council

 

South Somerset District Council

 

Torridge District Council

 

 

• Best performing NLIS Level 3 Local Land Charges Department –

   

Dartford Borough Council

 

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council

 

Hastings Borough Council

 

Medway Council

 

Mid Devon District Council

 

 South Somerset District Council

 

 Torridge District Council

 

 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

 

 Worcester City Council

 

 City of York Council

 

 

• Best performing NLIS Level 2 Local Land Charges Department –

   

Brentwood Borough Council

 

Gateshead Borough Council

 

Gravesham Borough Council

 

Merton London Borough Council

 

Mid Sussex District Council

 

Newham London Borough Council

 

North Devon District Council

 

Southampton City Council

 

Spelthorne Borough Council

 

Tandridge District Council

 

 

• Local Land Charges Officer of the Year

   

Clare Merson, St Albans City & District Council

 

Amanda Harcourt, City of London Corporation

 

Shirley Crook, London Borough of Croydon

 

 

 

 

 

Further information please contact:

 

Fiona Barron /Natasha Campbell at Land Data

 

T: 07770 855 337 / 020 7251 8385

 

E: fiona.barron@land-data.org.uk / Natasha.campbell@land-data.org.uk

 

www.land-data.org.uk 

 

 

Notes to Editors 

 

 

Land Data regulates the National Land Information Service (NLIS) under an agreement made in 1999 with local government to fulfil objective 43 of the Modernising Government Action Plan and carries the sole mandate for NLIS commercialisation. IDeA established Land Data to serve the interests of the general public by making authoritative property search information accessible to all, whilst at the same time improving the home buying and selling process. Land Data fulfils this remit by promoting official electronically sourced land and property searches via NLIS, throughout England and Wales. The NLIS Hub is electronically connected to all local authorities in England and Wales, Land Registry, the Coal Authority and other sources of land and property data, the information is distributed by NLIS Channels to solicitors and licensed conveyancers.  Since it began operation in 2001, over 22 million searches have been processed by the NLIS Hub.