LSB Consumer Panel

As an organisation it is important that we have the mechanisms in place to ensure consistency and challenge in our approach to consumer issues and one of our first priorities has been to set up our Consumer Panel.

The Consumer Panel will play an important role in ensuring that the views and interests of consumers are reflected in our plans. The Panel is independent of the Board and has considerable scope to advise and influence the LSB from the consumer perspective.

The LSB announced the appointment of Dr Dianne Hayter as Chair of the Consumer Panel on 17 July.

The Legal Services Consumer Panel has its own website that includes information on its current projects, as well as copies of its publications, consultation responses and Panel meeting minutes. The Consumer Panel’s website can be found at: www.legalservicesconsumerpanel.org.uk

Legal Services Consumer Panel Call for Evidence on Referral Arrangements

The Legal Services Consumer Panel’s first major project is to investigate the use of referral arrangements in the legal sector, in particular the risks and benefits of such arrangements for consumers.

To ensure we can base our findings on the best-available evidence, the Panel is seeking input from all stakeholders. The Terms of Reference provide details of the scope and our key areas of investigation.

Please tell us your views by emailing contact@legalservicesconsumerpanel.org.uk. The deadline for input is 5pm, 26 February 2010.

The membership of the Consumer Panel was announced in November 2009

Dianne Hayter (Chair)

Dianne is Chair of the Property Standards Board, and Chair of the Actuarial Stakeholder Group of the Financial Reporting Council. She is also a member of the Board for Actuarial Standards, the Insolvency Practices Council, and the Determinations Panel of the Pensions Regulator. She was previously Chair of the Consumer Panel of the Bar Standards Board, Vice Chair of the Financial Services Consumer Panel, and on the National Consumer Council.

Prior to that she was the Chief Executive of a number of organisations, including Alcohol Concern, the European Parliamentary Labour Party and the Pelican Cancer Centre, as well as Director of Corporate Affairs at the Wellcome Trust. She served for a year as Chair of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee, is a trustee of a number of charities and was a JP for over a decade.

Location: London


Jeff Bell

Jeff is a Trading Standards Consultant based in Stockton-on-Tees. Formerly, he was Chief Trading Standards Officer at Redcar and Cleveland Unitary Council, and worked as a Trading Standards Officer at local authorities in Cleveland, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, and Durham. He was also Chair of the North East Trading Standards Association and a Member of the North East Electricity Consumers’ Committee.

Location: Stockton-on-Tees


Graham Corbett

Graham is Senior National Officer at the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), and a Member of the Employment Tribunal Panel. Formerly, he was Deputy Head of Legal Services at the PCS and a civil servant at the Department of Environment and Transport. He previously chaired the Departmental Trade Union Side for negotiations and was a senior lay representative at the Civil and Public Services Association.

Location: West Yorkshire


Elisabeth Davies

Elisabeth is Head of Public Engagement at Voluntary Services Overseas. She is also a Trustee of the Immigration Advisory Services, the Chair of Wandsworth Citizens Advice Bureaux, and was previously Deputy Chair of Wandsworth Primary Care Trust. Her career includes a series of senior roles in the health arena at the National Patient Safety Agency, the UK Breast Cancer Coalition, the Patients Association and the World Cancer Research Fund. She was also previously Director of Policy at the Refugee Council.

Location: London


Emma Harrison

Emma is Director of External Affairs at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. She brings experience of working in the consumer movement as former Principal Public Affairs Officer at Which? and Campaign Manager at Consumers International. She was also previously a Research Manager and Political Advisor at the European Parliament.

Location: London


Paul Munden

Paul is an experienced general counsel and chartered director. Over the last ten years he has held a number of senior board posts at the Business Link operation in London. He is an accredited tutor with the Institute of Directors leading a number of their board development courses designed to provide an in-depth view of the key duties, roles and legal responsibilities of directors and corporate governance. He has also served as non executive chairman of a Bafta award winning educational software house and a founder non executive director of Customer First UK, which is responsible for the national Customer First quality accreditation framework. He is currently on the board of NHS Mid Essex and the National Youth Music Theatre.

Location: Essex


Neil Wightman

Neil is Deputy Head of Housing Needs at the London Borough of Camden and is Joint Chair of the Association of Housing Advice Services. He was a member of the Beacon Advisory Panel between 2003 and 2009 and a Trustee Director of Kilburn Youth Service for 10 years. He has worked in local government for 20 years and before that worked as an advice worker at Sheffield and Clapham Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Location: London

Karin Woodley

Karin now works as a freelance consultant having ended her role as Chief Executive of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust in June. Formerly, she was Director of the Tabernacle Trust; Deputy Director of the Arkwright Arts Trust; Partner, Keya Associates; and Chief Executive of Minorities Arts Advisory Service. She was also previously Chair of Kensington and Chelsea Metropolitan Police Independent Advisory Group on Race, and Adviser to the Scotland Yard Gold Task Group for the Notting Hill Carnival Policing Strategy.

Location: London