HM Government

HM Land Registry today released its Annual Report and Accounts, setting out its priorities for an ambitious digital transformation towards becoming the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data. This will include helping to identify areas that may be suitable for housing through the aim of comprehensive registration of land in England and Wales.

This is the first annual report and accounts HM Land Registry has published since it was announced by the government that it shall remain in the public sector and focus on becoming a digital and data-driven business.

Graham Farrant, Chief Executive and Chief Land Registrar, said:

To our many stakeholders, I would ask you to join, support and partner with us as we explore how through digital technology we can work together to make conveyancing quicker, cheaper and simpler for everyone.

HM Land Registry aims to begin the comprehensive registration of land in England and Wales. The initial focus will be on prioritising public sector land in order to provide an early indication of the scale of potential sites for house building and associated infrastructure needs.

Alongside the improved registration of land, the transformation will also involve working with the private sector to research and test new digital registers, potentially exploring blockchain, a plan HM Land Registry is calling ‘Digital Street’.

By changing how it works internally and moving to become a more digitally data-driven organisation, HM Land Registry will aim to meet the changing needs of its customers, testing new ideas with them that could make conveyancing simpler, faster and cheaper.

Responding to a government commitment to drive innovation in the digital economy, HM Land Registry will open up more of its datasets externally and across government to support infrastructure development, financial security, tax collection, law enforcement and national security.

Graham Farrant, Chief Executive and Chief Land Registrar, further said:

Alongside the key role we already play in the property market, our transformation will help support the UK in developing a vibrant and innovative digital economy. Our plans not only involve the digitisation of our existing services but we will explore how, through new digital technology, we can help to potentially release even more value from the Land Register.

Notes to Editor:

1. Access the HM Land Registry Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17.

2. In the 2016 Autumn Statement, it was announced that HM Land Registry should focus on becoming a more digital data-driven registration business in the public sector.

3. In February 2017, the Housing White Paper ‘Fixing our broken housing market’ committed HM Land Registry to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data with an aim to achieve comprehensive registration of land in England and Wales by 2030.

4. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.

5. As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, HM Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been open to public inspection since 1990.

6. With the largest transactional property database of its kind detailing more than 24 million titles, HM Land Registry underpins the economy by safeguarding ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property.

7. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.

8. Follow us on Twitter @HMLandRegistry and find us on our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Timothy Charles Kitson Sledge, MA, Vicar of Romsey and Area Dean in the Diocese of Winchester, to be appointed to the Deanery of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, Peterborough, on the resignation of the Very Reverend Charles William Taylor, MA, on 6 October 2016.

Reverend Canon Tim Sledge, (aged 53) studied Music at Ripon and York St John’s College then studied at York University for his MA. He studied for ordination at Trinity College, Bristol. His first curacy was at Huddersfield, in Wakefield Diocese from 1995 to 1998 before becoming Vicar at Luddenden with Luddenden Foot in Wakefield Diocese from 1998 to 2003.

In addition, from 2002 to 2003 he was Priest-in-Charge at Sowerby in the Diocese of Wakefield. From 2003 to 2008 he was Diocesan Missioner Enabler in the Diocese of Peterborough. Since 2008 he has been Vicar of Romsey in the Diocese of Winchester and since 2013 Area Dean. He is an Honorary Canon at Winchester Cathedral.

He has written and contributed to several books including Youth Emmaus and Mission Shaped Parish. He also wrote Creative Communion (BRF 2008) and contributed to Daily Reflections for Common Worship (Canterbury Press 2015).

Tim is Chairman of the Young Vocations Strategy Group for the Church of England, is a trustee of Triangulate – a Romsey Mental Health Charity, and has strong links with the Anglican Province of Burundi.

Tim is married to Caroline, and has two stepchildren, Grace (20) and Matt (18).

He enjoys cooking, poetry, golf and the arts, attending concerts and visiting art galleries.

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The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has published its 2016 to 17 annual report on major projects, reporting 143 major projects on the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), worth £455.5 billion and spread across 17 government departments.

The report is in support of the IPA’s ongoing purpose to improve the way infrastructure and major projects are delivered and the government’s commitment to transparency and delivering public services effectively and efficiently.

Projects currently on the GMPP reflect the government’s priorities; making our infrastructure fit for the 21st Century, maintaining the security of the realm and modernizing and digitizing our public services.

The annual report provides a snapshot of how well these projects are progressing as of September 2016. The data shows a steady improvement in the way that government is delivering major projects:

• over 60% of projects by whole life cost are likely to be successfully delivered

• since last year’s report, the number of at risk projects has reduced from 44 to 38, which continues to be an improvement from 48 the previous year

• transformation projects continue to make up the largest category of the GMPP with 40 projects

• the infrastructure and construction sector is the largest area of growth on the GMPP, reaching a record value of £222.5 billion

The government has successfully completed a number of projects during the last year such as DCMS’s Super Connected Cities Programme, which enabled an extra 42,500 small business across the UK to have access to faster broadband.

John Manzoni, Chief Executive of the Civil Service, said:

This year’s report continues to reflect a broad and ambitious government agenda with transformation and infrastructure and construction remaining key priorities.

The data shows signs of steady improvement in the way government is delivering major projects. All government projects are designed to improve the lives of our citizens. As we continue to deliver, the benefits of these projects will be felt by the public.

Tony Meggs, Chief Executive of the IPA, said:

We know that success or failure of a project is often determined in its earliest phases. That is why the IPA is focussing its efforts on engaging and supporting specific projects in the early stages of their development.

We will continue to work with departments and industry as early as possible on their projects, so we can help ensure they are set up for success.

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The UK Property Transaction statistics showed that in May 2017 the number of seasonally adjusted property transactions completed in the UK with a value of £40,000 or above increased by 13.4% compared to May 2016. The unusually low level of transactions in May 2016 was associated with the introduction of the higher tax rates on additional properties introduced from 1 April 2016. Comparing May 2017 to April 2017, property transactions fell by 3.3%. See the economic statement.

Sales during March 2017, the most up-to-date HM Land Registry figures available, show that:

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The proposed new action would restrict the online sale of knives and ban possession of dangerous or offensive weapons on private property.

Amber Rudd announced her intention to tighten the law in order to stop under 18s being able to purchase knives. The proposed measures would mean anyone who bought a knife online would be required to collect it in person, with retailers responsible for checking the age of all buyers.

It is already an offence to sell knives to under 18 year olds. The new offences would mean knives could no longer be delivered to private property, making it harder for underage sales to go undetected.

Banning the possession of outlawed weapons – such as zombie knives, knuckledusters and ‘throwing stars’ – on private property would mean police were able to seize them and make arrests. The proposal comes after police called for more powers to take action if they find such weapons in someone’s home.

The consultation will also seek views on whether the offence of possessing a knife in a public place and school premises should be extended to also include the grounds of other educational establishments, such higher education institutions.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said:

Knife crime has devastating consequences. I am determined to tackle this and do all I can to break the deadly cycle and protect our children, families and communities.

The action I am setting out today will help keep people safe and give police the powers they need to crack down on offenders.

Prevention is also key and we will be working to educate our young people and give them the strength they need to turn away from knives.

Recorded police crime figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), for the year ending December 2016 show more than 32,000 knife crime offences took place, a 14% increase on the previous year.

Although some of the increase is down to improved police recording practices, it may also represent a real increase in some areas of the country.

There were over 4,000 hospital admissions for assaults involving sharp weapons in England in the year ending March 2016, a 13% rise, with 771 cases involving children or teenagers aged 19 or under.

The government is working to tackle this, banning the sale of so-called ‘zombie knives’ last year and working with major retailers to prevent the underage sale of knives.

It supports the police-led Operation Sceptre, a series of co-ordinated weeks of intensified action on knife crime that takes place across the country, and which includes weapon sweeps, test purchases in shops, targeted use of stop-and-search powers, and the use of surrender bins.

A record 32 police forces are taking part in the current week of action, which began on Monday 17 July, after the Home Office hosted a summit last month to encourage more to get involved.

The Home Secretary visited a Metropolitan Police operation this week to view some of the knives police have seized and see a knife arch in action.

In addition, the government is considering a series of new non-legislative measures to tackle knife crime as part of a comprehensive action being set out.

It also intends to launch a new anti-knife crime campaign in the Autumn and a new £500,000 fund for community projects tackling the issue. There are also plans to expand the capacity of youth violence intervention projects based in hospital emergency departments to reach and try to divert at risk young people.

John Poyton, chief executive of Redthread Youth, said:

Everyday in A&E we see the devastating impact knife crime has on young people, their families and the wider community. More needs to be done to lower the numbers of young people meeting our youth workers in London’s major trauma centres, and restricting the availability of knives to under 18’s is an important contribution to creating safer communities.

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