no public transport running so took taxi from the train station to the hotel. Can this be reimbursed? (Though as a lone woman travelling in a new area, with luggage, low battery, late at night, I’m happy to pay the Uber fee out of my own pocket)
any travel late at night where a taxi can be reasonably justified on the basis of safety is permissible under the travel policy of my Govt dept. It needs to be done on the basis of common sense, I.e. you need to be able to justify that there was no economic and safe alternative. I would check your justification is valid by discussing with your line manager first before submitting your claim.
re the travel delay compensation, are you saying that you believe you should be personally entitled to receive the compensation? Normally it's the individual being compensated for inconvenience from the delay. The waters get muddied because you aren't paying, your employer is. The way I understand the travel policy, it states that you the claimant should neither be out of pocket or in profit. So Id advise you to check with your LM that you aren't breaching that regulation. If it was me, I wouldn't bother, due to the hassle and the need for justification all for the princely sum of £20 or however much you get.
Do I claim the hours spent travelling outside of working hours as flexi credits, or does it fall under overtime?
Id personally book it as flexi credits, because overtime requires LM approval in advance. If you didn't seek that approval in advance, then flexi is easier to process as you're simply taking those hours as leave at a different time, just as you'd normally take flexi.
When I'm due to incur travel expenses my personal rule is that I always check with my delivery manager first - I send an estimated breakdown of costs, even though I don't have to, I do it anyway, because it shows positive intent, transparency etc, that has served me well over the years. The information is there if needed, and can be ignored if not needed.