Infrastructure Bill receives Royal Assent
Land Registry to widen its powers and take on Local Land Charges.
The Infrastructure Bill, currently before Parliament, which will enable Land Registry to provide a single digital Local Land Charges service has been given Royal Assent today. This service will improve access, standardise fees and improve turnaround times for property professionals and citizens.
The announcement was one of the measures in the Bill which also include Wider Powers for Land Registry. These powers will support the property market and UK economy as part of the information infrastructure on which others can build and innovate.
Ed Lester, Chief Land Registrar and Chief Executive, said:
Land Registry is extremely well placed to be able to deliver the necessary changes to the existing Local Land Charges service. We currently play a central role in the conveyancing process and handle large volumes of applications and searches on a daily basis.
Whilst our primary function will remain land registration, Wider Powers provides us with an opportunity to build on the existing service that we already provide.
The policy supports wider government priorities to facilitate easier property transactions by bringing efficiencies to the property sector and making public data more easily accessible for the benefit of the wider economy.
The mechanics of how the system will operate will be covered by rules contained in secondary legislation.