The Land Registry of England and Wales is offering redundancy terms to around 1,250 staff, prompting fears that an ‘exodus of experience’ could harm standards of service once the property market recovers.

Revenue at the self-funding agency has fallen sharply in recent months with the collapse in property transactions.

Peter Collis, chief registrar and chief executive, said that cuts would safeguard the Registry’s long-term position. ‘We don’t know how long the property market will be in the doldrums, but we’re determined to emerge from it stronger and more successful than ever before,’ he said.

The Registry said it is offering voluntary redundancy to all its registration assistants and registration officers, who make up around 1,250 of the agency’s 8,300 staff. It has also offered early retirement to staff aged 50 or older.

Hilary Palmer, a property solicitor at Westminster firm Winckworth Sherwood, said: ‘The longest-serving staff are likeliest to go because they’ll get the best packages. This exodus of experience will have a knock-on effect on the quality of LR work once the market picks up again.’ Temporary redeployment of staff, or compulsory redundancy based on criteria other than wanting to leave, might be better economics, she said.

Richard Barnett, senior partner at north-west volume conveyancing firm Barnetts, said he was not surprised at the cuts. ‘But I hope it’s done in a sensitive and rational way that won’t affect efficiencies when the downturn ends,’ he stressed.

However, Paul Marsh, Law Society President and consultant at Surrey firm Downs Solicitors, said the proposed redundancies were part of an evolution towards greater use of electronic rather than manual processes. ‘Employee numbers are bound to fall, but the LR is a well-run organisation and won’t allow staffing levels to drop to the detriment of service,’ he commented.