Interpretation2
1
In these Regulations, “access to property records” means access to property records granted by a local authority in any of the following ways—
a
allowing a person to inspect or search property records at a place designated by the authority for doing so;
b
allowing the making of or providing copies of, property records; or
c
the electronic transmission of property records, or copies of such records,
and in these Regulations, the expression “access to property records” is to be construed accordingly.
2
In these Regulations, a reference to a local authority “answering enquiries about a property” means—
a
the answering by the authority of any specific oral or written enquiries from a person about a property or property records; or
b
the carrying out by the authority of any activities for the purposes of answering such enquiries.
3
In these Regulations—
“financial year” means a period of twelve consecutive months ending with 31st March;
“free statutory information” means information required to be provided by a local authority under an enactment, where that enactment expressly—
- a
prohibits a local authority from making a charge for doing so; or
- b
requires that the authority provides the information free of charge;
- a
“local authority” means—
- a
a county council;
- b
a district council;
- c
a London Borough Council;
- d
the Common Council of the City of London; and
- e
the Council of the Isles of Scilly;
- a
“internal transaction” means the granting of access to property records by one department of a local authority to another department of that authority;
“property” means a specified building or structure or specified land in relation to which property records are held by a local authority;
“property records”—
- a
includes documents, registers, files and archives (held in any form by the local authority), which relate to a property;
- b
includes information derived from such documents, registers, files and archives; but
- c
excludes the local land charges register kept under section 3(2) of the Local Land Charges Act 19752;
- a
“request” includes a written, oral, electronic or automated request; and
“unit charge” means the charge described in regulation 6(2).