Land Registry sale called off

The PCS civil service union, has hailed the campaign that forced the government to call off plans to privatise the Land Registry.

The government admitted that the case for the change had not been made and cancelled the sell-off in July. The government consultation on the plan revealed a high level of concern about non-civil servants processing land registration information, with nine in 10 respondents opposing the sell-off.

Leaked documents had shown that the government had already decided to go ahead with the plan prior to the consultation ending.

The PCS marshalled the campaign against the sale, which involved a petition signed by 106,000 people, lobbying of MPs, a social media campaign, and two days of strike action in May.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said the outcome was “hugely significant” for PCS members and industry professionals who “ran a fantastic campaign” exposing the government’s case.

www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/index.cfm/land-registry-sell-off-shelved