Andrew Lloyd, managing director of Search Acumen [1], comments:
“Buried deep under the big housing announcements in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement was news which comes as a great victory for the property and legal industries – the official end to the government’s second attempt to privatise Land Registry.
“Land Registry’s ongoing efforts to provide an open and transparent service to the property sector have been welcomed by many organisations involved in the journey of buying and selling land and property, and we have joined others in campaigning vocally against privatisation. Such a move would not only have threatened transparency, freedom of information and equal access to regulated data, but also thrown a major barrier up in the way of greater innovation and progress.
“This victory for common sense should mean that the prospect of privatisation is permanently consigned to the history books regardless of future changes in government. Now efforts can focus on supporting Land Registry to stay ahead of the digital curve and enhance the flow of information around the industry. The organisation has already taken great strides into the digital space, and by maximising the opportunities for collaboration with forward-thinking, data-savvy businesses, it can play a vital role in helping the whole land and property buying process become more efficient, productive and open.”