Land Registry sell-off is put on hold

landregistry

Plans to privatise the Land Registry have been put on hold by the government.

Michael Fallon, in one of his last deeds as a business minister, said in a written statement: “At this time no decision has been taken to change Land Registry’s model.”

Fallon, who has now been promoted to Defence Secretary, said the coalition government had concluded that “further consideration would be valuable” following the responses to its consultation.

The government would continue its ambition for an effective “digital-by-default” data service which had already seen the group’s workforce cut in half over the past 20 years, he said.

Sources say the Tories wanted to push ahead with the privatisation plans but Business Secretary Vince Cable called a halt after criticism of the sale of Royal Mail which short-changed the taxpayer by about £1 billion.

The full statement is here:

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/July%202014/14%20July%202014/2BIS-LandRegistry.pdf

An online petition against the privatisation plans raised over 100,00 signatures, pictured.

 

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