Rebuilding confidence in LeO
Since I became OLC Chair in April 2020, the OLC Board’s sustained focus has been rebuilding confidence in LeO.
At the end of our 2020-23 strategy period, I am in no doubt about the genuine progress LeO has made in improving customers’ experience. The journey to date has also been one of complete transparency and accountability. Taken together, these have gone far in restoring stakeholders’ trust in LeO and its leadership.
This was clear from the responses the OLC received to our consultation on our 2023/24 Business Plan, budget and interim strategy. I’m very grateful to all those who shared their perspectives with the OLC on its draft plans, whether in response to our consultation or during our face-to-face engagement.
And I’m now I’m very pleased to say that, on 21 March, the Legal Services Board approved our proposals, meaning that we can move ahead with our plans to further embed and build on the improvements LeO has already made. We will be publishing our plans in full this week.
LeO’s plans – seeing the journey through
While LeO is on a strong positive trajectory, we are also crystal clear about the work still to be done.
LeO’s plans strip out optimism bias, reflecting the challenge from the OLC and other stakeholders to balance realism with ambition – while retaining a clear and central commitment to meeting customers’ needs and expectations.
In the OLC’s updated mission is an explicit focus on the early resolution of complaints – and in the objectives, a renewed emphasis on customers’ experience, quality and proportionality. Supporting these aims will be the delivery of LeO’s vital People Strategy, and new Scheme Rules effective from 1 April 2023, pending a further second-phase review.
There’s also a strong appetite – from the legal profession and consumer representatives alike – to hear more of LeO’s insight and experience. A commitment to do more in this space is reflected in LeO’s plans, with an emphasis on understanding how LeO can best use its independent voice to drive improvements in the legal sector.
LeO’s budget – striking a balance
As we said in our consultation, the current economic context is undoubtedly difficult for all organisations. In setting a budget to deliver these plans, the OLC has needed to strike a difficult balance – trying to minimise LeO’s costs, while ensuring it reaches sustainable, acceptable levels of performance. We also need to recognise the very real impact on LeO’s people of the rising cost of living.
While there was broad acknowledgement of the need for a budget increase – which is a cut in real terms – we recognise the pressure felt by those who contribute to LeO’s funding. LeO has already made significant efficiencies across its processes, with further improvements planned for the coming year – and the OLC Board’s focus will remain firmly on delivering the best possible value for the money we receive.
The future – ambitions for the Legal Ombudsman
As we deliver these plans for the year ahead, we will also be laying the groundwork for an ambitious and comprehensive future strategy for LeO.
As we set out in our consultation, there are many questions we will need to ask. For example, what will legal services users and providers expect from their experience of LeO five or ten years from now? How can LeO differentiate itself as an employer? How should the scheme be funded? And what should be its ambitions for its wider impact on the legal sector?
While the answers to these questions are not straightforward, we will be engaging with them fully in as we develop our future long-term strategy, inviting the input of a wide range of stakeholders. I look forward to working together in the year ahead.
Elisabeth Davies
