Our Independence and Governance
Rail Ombudsman Governance Document
The Rail Ombudsman is operated by Dispute Resolution Ombudsman (Registered in England & Wales, Company No. 08945616), a subsidiary of The Ombuds Group (registered in England and Wales, company number: 14275884).
DRO is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
The Rail ADR Service Board
Comprising an independent Chair and members including a majority in Non-Executive roles, the Board is responsible for appointing the Chief Ombudsman and providing governance. The Rail ADR Service Board also helps to safeguard the Rail Ombudsman’s interests so that it is free to operate effectively and independently. The Board meets quarterly and provides sound oversight over the application of the Scheme Rules and Eligibility Criteria to ensure the Rail Ombudsman is free to operate independently from those that the Rail Ombudsman has the power to investigate. Everyone on the board signs a Fit and Proper Person Declaration. The Rail ADR Service Board will consult with the Rail Sector Advisory Panels for matters which require rail industry or consumer advocacy input and advice and as to how it can better meet its objectives and functions.
Our Team
Our team of Rail Ombudsman staff are dedicated and passionate and have come to the Ombudsman as specialists in their field. All of our Ombudsman are legally qualified professionals, many of whom have studied or are studying for their masters. All Ombudsman are designated ADR officials, are appointed on a permanent basis following a robust assessment, and are subject to ongoing learning and development.
None of our staff are remunerated by way of a bonus or commission structure. Remuneration is not linked to the outcome of casework and all staff are required to declare any interests under our formal Conflict of Interest Policy: Conflict of Interest Policy – Rail Ombudsman.
Independent Assessor
To further safeguard and build an added level of independent oversight into the Scheme, Dispute Resolution Ombudsman has appointed Kathryn Stone OBE, CDir, FloD as the Independent Complaints Reviewer and Independent Assessor to ensure that the operation of the Scheme is transparent, fair and reasonable. The Independent Assessor provides an Annual Report. For more information on the role of the Independent Assessor, including how they can be contacted, please see FAQ.
Rail Sector Advisory Panels
The Rail ADR Service Board will have access to and can be advised by:
The Passenger Advisory Panel, which consists of individuals with a background in and/or with experience and knowledge that can represent Consumer interests and includes representatives from the Rail Industry passenger watchdogs, London TravelWatch and Transport Focus. Chaired by Jon Walters (Advice Strategy Lead at Citizens Advice), and also comprising experts from the ADR sectors, academia and other consumer advocacy bodies, the purpose of the panel is to:
- Advise the Board on emerging trends and issues from the perspective of relevant experts and representatives of key interests;
- Advise the Board on how the Rail ADR Service can deliver on its objectives and functions, especially its role of driving continuous improvement in the rail sector; and
- Identify opportunities to refine or expand the work of the ombudsman, for example by suggesting different ways of working.
The Scheme Member Panel, which shall consist of representatives of Scheme Members, drawn from different regions including devolved administrations, geographical routes and train operator types in order to ensure that a range of train operators, station operators, for example Network Rail, and voluntary members, such as National Rail Enquiries, are represented. The purpose of the panel is to:
- Advise the Rail ADR Service Board on emerging trends and issues from the perspective of relevant experts and key member interests in terms of their individual knowledge and experience and also the organisations that they represent; and
- Advise the Rail ADR Service Board on how the Rail ADR Service can deliver on its objectives and functions, especially its role of driving continuous improvement in the rail sector; and
- Identify opportunities to refine or expand the work of the ombudsman, for example by suggesting different ways of working.
The responsibilities of the Panels are to provide input and advice, in fulfilment of the objectives set out above. The Panels’ role is advisory and as such may not mandate that the Rail ADR Service Board or Chief Ombudsman should take action as a result of the Panels’ advice.
The collective purpose of these Rail Sector Advisory Panels is to provide the Ombudsman with ongoing access to essential expertise to help it continually deepen and widen its knowledge and understanding of the rail sector. The Terms of Reference for each panel provides that it will meet not less than twice a year and summaries of the Minutes of the meetings will be published on the Rail Ombudsman website. The Rail Ombudsman endeavours to ensure that both panels will meet ahead of any Board meeting and the feedback provided will be a standing agenda item. The Chairs (and as appropriate vice-Chairs) of both panels will meet not less than twice yearly to collaborate on any themes or work-streams and the panels will meet jointly once a year to share learnings and insights collectively with the Board.
Contact Us
To find about more about our Independence and Governance please contact us.
