Hundreds of land searches stalled by new IT system

About 500 property transactions could have been delayed by a backlog of land searches after the rollout of a new council IT system, councillors were told.

Bracknell Forest Council said there were 695 outstanding search requests in mid-April, including 480 personal searches and 215 official local authority searches.

Concerns about data accuracy mean the council has not restarted the service.

Guy Gillbe, the council's cabinet member for planning, apologised and said he recognised the "uncertainty [and] stress" and risk to buyers and sellers.

The problem stems from the introduction of a new system covering planning, highways, building control and land charges, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Gillbe told a council meeting on Wednesday that the system "went live at the point required" but had not delivered the expected "readiness, resilience and reliability".

Work to reconfigure data is largely complete but further testing and fixes are still needed before searches can restart, the council said.

Once the service resumes, the council estimates it will take about 12 weeks to clear the backlog, with applications processed in the order they were submitted.

Officers are working with the software provider Arcus Global to restore normal service as quickly as possible and a full review of the implementation will follow, the council added.

Peter Dewsbury, chief executive officer of Arcus Global, said: "We are aware of the disruption to the land charges service at Bracknell Forest Council.

"Arcus staff are working constructively with the council's team to restore a comprehensive service as soon as possible."