14.09.15
Anna Walker to step down as ORR chair when her term ends in December
The Office of Rail & Road (ORR) will have a new chair from the beginning of next year, as Anna Walker has decided not to seek another term.
A spokeswoman told the Independent that Walker “felt any longer in the role was too long”, having been chair since July 2009, with her appointment extended by 18 months last summer “to ensure there was continuity between funding periods”.
That newspaper alleged a “personality clash” with transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, who felt that Walker and the ORR should have done more to predict and prevent the current financial and performance issues at Network Rail, which it regulates.
The ORR chair, like the rest of its board, is appointed directly by the transport secretary to serve a fixed term of up to five years.
McLoughlin has said that the ORR has “questions to answer” about its role, considering the now-delayed and over-budgeted schemes were signed off by it. However, he acknowledged these sign-offs came at an early stage and that a number of very complex programmes were being delivered simultaneously.
Walker, interviewed in our June/July 2015 edition, this year saw her role expanded alongside the rest of the ORR to monitor Highways England as well as Network Rail.
Earlier this year, McLoughlin also effectively pushed out Richard Parry-Jones as chair of Network Rail, replacing him with Sir Peter Hendy.
The Department for Transport claimed to have lost confidence in his ability to oversee Network Rail effectively after a series of missed targets and cost overruns.
In his initial announcement, McLoughlin offered no thanks or praise to Parry-Jones, merely saying he was “stepping down” while calling Hendy “someone of huge experience”.