May News

Conveyancing Month!

CONTENTS

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The UK’s first monthly on-line journal dedicated to conveyancers!

News...

Explanatory note

Explanatory note

Explanatory note

Explanatory note

ODPM becomes DCLG

Text Box: Although John Prescott will retain his title of Deputy Prime minister, (and his salary and perks!) he has lost his portfolio, and so the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has had to be renamed. From now on, it will be known as the Department For Communities and Local Government - or DCLG for short. Prescott’s former fiefdom will now be run by Labour MP for Bolton West Ruth Kelly, the former Education secretary.

Ruth Kelly

A Property Owning Democracy?

Text Box: Against a background of seemingly endless “feel good” property statistics - sales are up and prices are up even more - comes another set of statistics which are more sobering: property possession orders increased by 57% over the last 12 months, and personal insolvencies in England and Wales have leapt in the last year to 23,351, a year on year increase of 73%.

Law Society Appoints

New chief executive

Text Box: The Law Society has appointed Desmond Hudson as its new chief executive to lead the national representative and professional services body for solicitors. Mr Hudson, 50, is currently chief executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. He was previously chief executive of SMG Publishing (Scottish Media Group) and also managing director and operations director with the Britannia and Yorkshire Building Societies.

Text Box: Baroness Ashton of Upholland, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, has given the go-ahead for Land Registry to launch its e-conveyancing pilot service (the system to be used for domestic sales) in October 2007. This follows consultation with stakeholders, who have indicated that the housing market’s quieter period between October and January would be the best time to launch the new system. The date has also been chosen to give the industry time to adjust to Home Information Packs, which will be introduced on 1 June 2007.

Text Box: SPLINTA, the campaign group lobbying the Government against the introduction of compulsory Home Information Packs named the 1,000th signatory to their campaign as Estate Agents Williams & Goodwin, headed by Melfyn Williams, president of the National Association of Estate Agents in 2003-4. Mr Williams said: "I am still worried that this is not the correct solution and not right for the marketplace.”

Survey reveals “home stripper’s” favourites