By Legal Futures Associate Land Data
Conveyancers and solicitors in England and Wales have voted with their feet and named Arun District Council, Gateshead Metropolitan District Council, and the London Borough of Hillingdon as the top Local Land Charges teams for customer satisfaction, 2023.
The winners were revealed on 28 March at the 16th Land Data Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence gala dinner, attended by over 120 Local Land Charges Officers and hosted by comedian Dominic Holland.
For this Award, which is supported by The Coal Authority, 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 speed, accuracy, attitude, and value for money.
For the first time in 2023, there was a winner for district councils, one for metropolitan district councils and one for unitary councils, offering Local Authorities more opportunities to be recognised by their peers.
The other six award categories were Best Newcomer, supported by SearchFlow, Best Performing NLIS Local Land Charges Department, supported by the National Land Information Service (NLIS), Best Performing Migrated Local Authority, supported by HM Land Registry, the Unsung Hero Award, supported by the NLIS Helpdesk, and the Local Authority Searches Team of the Year, supported by the Local Land Charges Institute. See notes to editors for full details of winners and high commended.
Fiona Barron, Chief Executive at Land Data, said: “The 2023 Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence were once again a fantastic platform for acknowledging excellence in customer service. What came through strongly in the nominations from conveyancers this year was the sense of duty that many Local Land Charges staff bring to their role, going out of their way to deliver searches and resolve queries as quickly as possible. These are public servants who are tenacious in serving their residents. What also emerged was the value of established relationships between LLC officers and conveyancers – allowing for partnership working at its best.”
The 2023 Award winners are:
- Customer Satisfaction Award for Local Authority Searches – supported by the The Coal Authority
District Councils
Winner: Arun District Council
Highly commended: West Devon Borough Council
Metroplitan District Councils
Winner: Gateshead Metropolitan District Council
Highly commended: Dudley Metropolitan District Council
London Borough Councils
Winner: London Borough of Hillingdon
Highly Commended: London Borough of Barnet
- Local Land Authority Searches Team of the Year – supported by the Local Land Charges Institute
Winner: West Lindsey District Council
Highly commended: Buckinghamshire Council
- Best Newcomer – supported by SearchFlow
Winner: Claire Sharman from Ashfield District Council
Highly Commended: Karen Garner from Arun District Council
- Best Performing NLIS Level 2 Local Land Charges Department – supported by the National Land Information Service (NLIS)
Winner: London Borough of Lambeth
Highly commended: London Borough of Bromley
- Best Performing NLIS Level 3 Local Land Charges Department – supported by the National Land Information Service (NLIS)
Winner: City of York Council
Highly commended: London Borough of Sutton
- Best Performing Migrated Local Authority – supported by HM Land Registry
Winner: Isle of Wight Council
Highly commended: Mid Suffolk Council
- The Unsung Hero Award – supported by the National Land Information Service (NLIS) Hub
Winner: Anita Tunnicliffe, Stoke-on-Trent Council City Council
Highly commended: Sumitra Chudasama from London Borough of Brent
