Customer Service and Operations

Public reporting and accountability

In June 2002 Land Registry won a major award for its commitment to reporting to customers and having a policy of openness in public accountability. The Agency won the category for national organisations with an annual turnover of over £50 million at the first-ever CIPFA/PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Reporting and Accountability Awards.

CIPFA launched this new awards scheme to recognise those public service organisations who can demonstrate that they are giving clear and timely information to their customers in ways that encourage real public interest and engagement with stakeholders.

Land Registry's submission was based upon a range of documents that demonstrate its policy of open and honest accountability, including the Annual Report, Business Plan and the recently launched 10-Year Strategic Plan. Examples of how the Agency engages real customer and stakeholder interest included the consultation exercise recently held on e-conveyancing, the Property Price reports available on our website, and Land Registry's commitment to using plain English.

We were commended in particular for making a wide range of information available using all media types and channels of communication and for our use of customer surveys, focus groups and open days.

David Walker, a journalist on The Guardian newspaper who presented the awards, said: "The Land Registry eschews the bells and whistles approach for the straightforward, even the cool, and when the domestic property market is overheating that is no bad thing. What is impressive is how this Victorian creation has taken to the net, both in the sense of offering a full range of services online, with more to come, and offering a clear picture of what it is, what it does and how well - the basics of public accountability."