By Legal Futures Associate Land Data
The top 14 local land charges teams in England and Wales, as voted for by conveyancers and solicitors, have been revealed by Land Data, the authoritative land and property data expert, in its Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence shortlist.
To nominate the teams that impressed them the most, licensed conveyancers and solicitors were asked to describe how they went above and beyond expectations to turn around land and property searches quickly, efficiently, accurately, with a great attitude, and whilst providing excellent value for money.
All nominations were collected, grouped by Local Authority and reviewed and ranked by the Excellence Awards judging panel.
This year, for the first time, there are three categories for the Customer Satisfaction Award: one for District Councils, one for Metropolitan Districts, and one for London Boroughs, offering more opportunities to celebrate outstanding customer service from local land charges teams.
The winners of the Customer Satisfaction Awards, supported by The Coal Authority, will be announced at the 2023 Land Data Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence on 28th March 2023, at The Bristol Hotel, Bristol.
The top 14 finalists in alphabetical order are:
Best in District Councils
- Arun District Council
- Exeter City Council
- Gravesham Borough Council
- Preston City Council
- Reigate & Banstead Borough Council
- Wealden District Council
- West Devon Borough Council & South Hams District Council
- West Lindsay District Council
Best in Metropolitan Borough Councils
- Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
- Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
- Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council
Best in London Borough Councils
- London Borough of Barnet
- London Borough of Havering
- London Borough of Hillingdon
Andrew Simpson, Senior Development Manager at The Coal Authority, which supports the award, said: “Conveyancers, solicitors and local land charge teams become trusted partnerships over time, working together to enable local residents to purchase new homes as quickly and smoothly as possible. The supporting comments received from conveyancers show how valued local land teams are, and how many go above and beyond to deliver excellent customer service.”
Fiona Barron, Chief Executive of Land Data, said: “Local Land Charge teams are the unsung heroes of the home buying and selling process – often going out of their way to supply essential information that could affect the future use of land or development of a property. During these difficult economic times acknowledging achievement and recognising excellence in the profession, is more important than ever.”
Since their launch in 2008, the annual Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence remain the only national awards celebrating the achievements and successes of local authority local land charges departments across England and Wales.
Six other awards to be presented on 28 March, including the Best Performing Local Land Charges Department, the Local Authority Searches Team of the Year, Best Newcomer, Best Performing Migrated Local Authority and the Unsung Hero Award.
