Local Land Charges teams at ten local authorities have been recognised at the annual Land Data [1] Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence which took place virtually on 8 & 9 March 2022.
The national awards highlight the work and achievements of Local Land Charges departments in England and Wales. Entries and nominations were submitted by solicitors, licensed conveyancers, customer services experts and Local Land Charges personnel. The finalists were drawn from a shortlist of 35 local authority teams and 12 individuals.
The Awards which are sponsored by the Local Land Charges Institute [2], Coal Authority [3], Land Data [4] and the National Land Information Service (NLIS) [5], covering five categories recognising customer satisfaction, best NLIS Local Land Charges department (levels 2 and 3), the Unsung Hero and the Local Authority searches team of the year.
Fiona Barron, Land Data’s Chief Executive, commented: “It has been inspiring to see such resilience and tenacity in this year’s entries, after two extremely difficult years, where the pandemic has put extra demands and pressures on all local land charge teams. These teams go above and beyond to ensure that residents are able to buy new homes as quickly and smoothly as possible, helping local people fulfil their dreams. All the winners and highly commended local authorities should feel proud of their efforts to serve their communities and Local Government.”
The 2022 Award winners are:
Customer Satisfaction Award for Local Authority Searches – sponsored by the Coal Authority.
- For this award category, Land Data asks solicitors and licensed conveyancers to nominate and provide feedback on the local authority Local Land Charges team that they believe is committed to delivering a consistently high level of customer service. Voters are asked to consider quality, efficiency, reliability and value for money.
Winner: Arun District Council (as in 2021)
Highly commended: West Devon Borough Council
- Local Authority Searches Team of the Year – sponsored by the Local Land Charges Institute.
This team Award recognises the hard work and considerable effort made by all Local Land Charges staff to keep their services running efficiently during these challenging times. The criteria for this year’s Award will focus on service consistency, accuracy, leadership and teamwork within your authority.
Winner: London Borough of Havering (as in 2021)
Highly commended: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
- Best Performing NLIS Level 3 Local Land Charges Department – sponsored by the National Land Information Service (NLIS).
This award category recognises the best performing Local Land Charges Department operating at NLIS level 3, between September 1st 2021 – January 31st 2022. Judges use NLIS Hub data to determine electronic turnaround times, the level of overdue searches, search accuracy and volumes, which are weighted against transactional volumes for the authority’s area.
Winner: City of York Council (as in 2021)
Highly commended: Westminster City Council
- Best Performing NLIS Level 2 Local Land Charges Department – sponsored by the National Land Information Service (NLIS).
This award category recognises the best performing Local Land Charges Department operating at NLIS level 2, between September 1st 2021 – January 31st 2022. Judges use NLIS Hub data to determine electronic turnaround times, the level of overdue searches, search accuracy and volumes, which are weighted against transactional volumes for the authority’s area.
Winner: North Devon Council
Highly commended: London Borough of Merton
- The Unsung Hero Award – sponsored by the National Land Information Service (NLIS) Hub.
The Unsung Hero is voted for by the NLIS hub helpdesk team. The team nominates an individual or a team within a Local Land Charges department that they feel consistently makes an extra effort to work with them to make the search process as seamless as possible. The helpdesk team will give examples of how the department (or a person within the department) shines and impresses them.
Winner: LLC Team at Derby City Council
Highly commended: Jonathan Unger – London Borough of Haringey