By Paul Gosling
Northern Ireland’s Land and Property Services agency is to be reviewed, following criticisms from councils over a budget crisis that led to significant service cuts.
Northern Ireland’s Land and Property Services agency is to be reviewed, following criticisms from councils over a budget crisis that led to significant service cuts.Finance minister Nigel Dodds has instructed his Performance and Efficiency Delivery Unit to assess the capacity of the agency to meet current and future problems.
‘Land and Property Services undertakes a number of key roles, including the collection of rates from domestic and non-domestic properties across Northern Ireland,’ said Dodds. ‘Given the complexity and scale of the work it is involved in, I believe it is essential that we assure ourselves the agency is structured and managed in a way that is focused on the delivery of its important objectives.’
The Northern Ireland Local Government Association blames the LPS for errors in the assessment and collection of domestic and business rates and overestimates of amounts due that led to income shortfalls of up to £80m. The agency was also strongly criticised by the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee.
