Bracknell Forest Council could not reliably answer property searches for about 18 weeks after a new system went live. A review blames errors in moving old data.

Bracknell Forest Council could not reliably answer statutory property searches for around 18 weeks this year after it switched computer systems. An independent review has now found that two errors in moving the old data across were the main cause.

The chief executive and the council leader have both apologised. The findings go to the council’s Governance and Audit Committee at 7.30pm on Wednesday 18 November.

Overview

  • The council’s Local Land Charges register stopped working reliably after a new system went live on 5 February 2026.
  • For about 18 weeks the council could not consistently provide the search information buyers’ solicitors need.
  • The backlog of personal searches was cleared by 23 July. A smaller backlog of full property searches is still being worked through.
  • The review blames two data migration errors, plus weak testing, thin staffing and too little independent checking. It found no fault in the new software itself.

What went wrong

The council replaced its old Idox Uniform system with Arcus Global’s Place platform. The new system runs planning, building control, local land charges, highways, mapping and address records. The details are in the committee report, written by the council’s executive directors for resources and place.

The project was meant to finish by the end of December 2024. It ran late from the start. The first tender evaluation had weaknesses and was withdrawn and repeated, with Arcus still the highest scorer. The main system went live on 2 February 2026 and Local Land Charges followed on 5 February. That was just over 13 months behind the original plan.

Then the land charges register failed. The report says the council “could not consistently provide statutory property-search information for around 18 weeks”. It kept the old Idox system running for another 12 months so staff could cross-check records during the recovery.

Why it happened

The review was carried out by Socitm, a membership body for public sector IT leaders, and drew on interviews with about 43 people from the council and the supplier. It found two confirmed defects in how the old data was moved:

  • a mechanism the old system used to link records was not identified and rebuilt
  • a filter separating registrable planning records from non-registrable ones was not applied when the data was extracted

The report says other problems made it harder to catch those errors before launch:

  • an incomplete understanding of the old data and how the systems depended on each other
  • testing that did not cover realistic start-to-finish cases or compare the old and new systems’ outputs
  • limited risk ownership and readiness checks for each service
  • little independent assurance
  • stretched programme staff, and sickness absence in the land charges team

“The review did not identify a defect in the Arcus product as the direct cause,” the report says.

The full review stays confidential because it contains records of conversations with identifiable people. Its recommendations and a fuller summary are in exempt annexes.

What it cost

The council’s procurement plan expected the seven-year contract to cost £840,000 in annual charges, plus about £95,000 to set up. The report says spending with the supplier should stay within that total, although the early costs were higher than expected.

On top of that, the council paid for staff overtime, refunds of search fees and the review itself. The report does not say how much those came to. It says the extra costs cut the savings the council expected from replacing the old system.

What the council and the supplier said

Susan Halliwell, the council’s chief executive, said in the council’s announcement:

“We acknowledge that we did not meet the standards people rightly expect from us, or the standards we set for ourselves, and we apologise to everyone affected.”

Cllr Helen Purnell, the council leader, said she was “truly sorry for the inconvenience and frustration this issue caused residents, businesses and professionals who rely on local land charges services”. She said she would make sure every recommendation was “robustly implemented”.

Peter Dewsbury, chief executive of Arcus Global, said the company “committed substantial technical resource to work alongside council colleagues to address issues with the council’s legacy data”. He said it welcomed the review.

What happens next

The committee is asked to back two changes:

  • a single council-wide standard for any significant technology change, covering testing, data checks, go or no-go decisions and when councillors must be told about serious risks
  • a risk-based health check of all the council’s major systems

Progress on both would come back to the committee. The agenda and papers are published on the council’s website.

What it means for you

A local land charges search tells a buyer whether a property is affected by things like planning conditions, tree preservation orders or conservation areas. Mortgage lenders usually want one before a sale can complete, so a broken register can hold up a move.

If you are buying in Bracknell Forest now, the report says the backlog of personal searches was cleared by 23 July. Full searches done by the council still had a small backlog when the report was written, so your solicitor can tell you how long the council is taking on yours.