Shortlists for top Local Land Charges teams announced for 2023 Land Data Awards for Excellence

Shortlists for top Local Land Charges teams in England and Wales announced ahead of 2023 Land Data Awards for Excellence.

Local Land Charges (LLC) teams at 65 local authorities have been recognised in nine shortlists for the annual Land Data Local Land Charges Awards for Excellence, the only awards to recognise outstanding performance in the profession. The winning and highly commended local authorities will be announced on the 28^th March at a gala dinner at the Local Land Charges Training and Development Event 2023, held at The Bristol Hotel. A total 253 nominations and entries were received for the 2023 awards across all categories.

The awards celebrate a range of performance areas and skill sets, from Local Authority Searches Team of the Year, which is entered online by LLC teams themselves and assessed by the awards judging panel, to the new Best Migrated Local Authority which is judged by HM Land Registry using live data from its platform.

Fiona Barron, Land Data’s Chief Executive, and one of the award judges, said:

“It has been inspiring to see such resilience, tenacity and high levels of performance in this year’s judging and award entries.

“The shortlisted teams are delivering land and property searches at the highest standard, going above and beyond to ensure that residents are able to buy new homes as quickly and smoothly as possible.”

The Shortlists:

Please note that all local authorities have been listed alphabetically

NEW: Best Migrated Local Authority – supported by HM Land Registry

This new award is for Local Authorities who have already migrated their local land charges register to HM Land Registry. It celebrates outstanding management of the Register and good communication with HM Land Registry, helping property buyers to achieve the best outcomes. The judges use live data from the HM Land Registry platform to rank LLC departments based on key performance criteria, including: time taken to register new charges, completeness of entries and accuracy of entries. The judges analyse data from Local Authorities who have been in live service for at least 6 months, during the period 1st February 2022 – 31st January 2023.

- - Babergh District Council
  - City of Lincoln Council
  - Dudley MBC
  - Isle of Wight Council
  - Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
  - Mid Suffolk Council
  - Mid Sussex District Council
  - North West Leicestershire Council
  - South Norfolk District Council
  - West Suffolk Council

NEW: Best Newcomer Award – supported by SearchFlow

Another new award! This recognises new members of staff who have gone above and beyond expectations, showing diligence, creativity, proactivity and great teamworking skills. All rising stars must have joined the council within the past 18 months.

- - Karen Garner – Arun District Council
  - Claire Sharman – Ashfield District Council
  - Gabrielle Abella – Ashford Borough Council
  - Marie Sullivan – Buckinghamshire Council
  - Shelby Phillips – London Borough of Hillingdon
  - Horsham District Council
  - Allison Butler – Huntingdonshire District Council
  - Judith McKenzie – Oldham Council
  - Rowan Hopper – Waverley Borough Council

Customer Satisfaction Award for Local Authority Searches – supported by The Coal Authority

For this category, there are three separate awards – one for District Councils, one for Metropolitan Councils and one for London Boroughs. Land Data asks solicitors and licensed conveyancers to nominate and provide feedback on the Local Authority LLC teams 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.

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

Local Authority Searches Team of the Year – supported by the Local Land Charges Institute.

This team Award recognises the hard work and dedication made by Local Land Charges teams. The criteria for this year’s award focus on how teams have worked collaboratively to overcome a challenge, become more efficient, and deliver excellent customer service.

- - Blaby District Council
  - Buckinghamshire Council
  - Dorset Council
  - Hampshire County Council
  - London Borough of Havering
  - Preston City Council
  - South Cambridgeshire District Council
  - Wealden District Council
  - West Lindsey District Council
  - Worcestershire County Council

The Unsung Hero Award – supported 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.

- - Sumitra Chudasama – Brent Council
  - Sarah Blatchford – Harts District Council
  - Tracy Davis – London Borough of Redbridge
  - Nicola Griffiths – Pembrokeshire County Council
  - LLC Team – Portsmouth City Council
  - Kay Weston – Stafford Borough Council
  - Anita Tunnicliffe – Stoke on Trent City Council
  - Jacki Molyneux – Trafford Council
  - Kate Hall – Waverley Borough Council
  - Nina Wahlberg- Waverley Borough Council

Best Performing NLIS Level 2 Local Land Charges Department – supported 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 2022 and January 31st 2023. 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.

- - Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council
  - Braintree District Council
  - Buckinghamshire Council – South Bucks
  - Gateshead Council
  - London Borough of Bromley
  - London Borough of Lambeth
  - London Borough of Newham
  - Manchester City Council
  - North Devon Council
  - Wokingham Borough Council

Best Performing NLIS Level 3 Local Land Charges Department – supported 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 2022 and January 31st 2023. 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.

- - Brighton & Hove City Council
  - Cardiff Council
  - City of York Council
  - London Borough of Enfield
  - London Borough of Haringey
  - London Borough of Sutton
  - North Kesteven District Council
  - North Northamptonshire Council – Wellingborough Area
  - South Gloucestershire Council
  - Westminster City Council