Jan Boothroyd, former Chief Executive of Land Data has today been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Land Data Local Land Charge Awards for Excellence 2022.
Jan has dedicated her career to improving and modernising the role of the local land charge professional, not least by leading the roll out of the National Land Information Service (NLIS) 21 years ago, across every local authority in England and Wales.
Jan’s career began in the pre-computerisation days at Westminster City, before she moved to Selby District Council where she also set up National Association of Local Land Charge Officers (NALLCO), now part of the Local Land Charge Institute (LLCI).
Following her next move to Leeds City Council to initiate their computerisation programme, Jan gained an understanding of the very detailed rules needed for good data capture, something that would pay dividends in leading NLIS out across the local government community in the late 90’s.
Jan was Chief Executive of Land Data from 2009 until 2021, overseeing the evolution of the NLIS Hub and the onboarding of new channels and partners. Whilst Jan stepped down as Chief Executive last year she still leads its training programme and is always at the end of the phone for anyone needing advice.
Accepting her award, Jan Boothroyd said:
“Wow! What a wonderful surprise – I feel incredibly honoured to receive this award. I am a proud career public servant and have always been driven by my local land charge community, my belief in the essential role they play in the UK’s housing market, and by being curious about anything to do with data and digital transformation.
“As I look around, I am extremely positive about the future of the local land charge professional – the unsung heroes of the housing market. I look forward to seeing new solutions emerge that facilitate data provenance, or ‘one source of truth’, remove delays and reduce costs.”
Congratulating Jan on her award, Fiona Barron, current Chief Executive of Land Data said:
“Jan is a larger-than-life figure who has championed the importance of local land charge professionals her whole career. Indeed, through her work to establish the National Land Information Service she has shaped the role itself. She has been an inspirational convening figure in local government for 30 years – mentoring, training and bringing together local land charge teams from across the country.”
Amanda Renshaw, Chair of the Local Land Charge Institute added:
“Jan is an inspirational friend and colleague. She always puts her local authority colleagues first, offering them her time, knowledge and energy when needed most. Described by many as the ‘work mother’, she is fiercely loyal and proud of her community. She is also incredibly sharp-witted, funny and erudite. If you’re heading to a meeting with Jan, you’d better have done your homework! Well done Jan, you thoroughly deserve this.”
These national awards are the only awards to recognise the work of local land charge professionals.
