CPS Board meeting minutes - July 2022

Wednesday 27 July, 14:00-16:30
Aldwych Room, 102 Petty France / MS Teams

Members

Monica Burch (C), Max Hill QC, Mark Hammond, Simon Jeffreys

Guests

Dawn Brodrick (attending items 5 and 8), Baljit Ubhey (attending item 5), Hayley Bird (attending item 6), Tristan Bradshaw (attending item 7), Heidi Stonecliffe QC (attending all items)

Secretariat

Max Looker, Harry Spooner

Item 1: Declaration of any conflicts

1.    Board members had no new conflicts of interest to declare.

Item 2: Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

2.    The Chair noted apologies from the CEO. The Chair welcomed Heidi Stonecliffe QC, Shadow Board Chair, as an attendee of the meeting.
2.1    The Board reviewed the minutes of the last meeting. The Board noted point 7.5 in the minutes should include a sentence on the need for the next strategic partnership update to map the actions and action owners belonging to each strategic partner. The Secretariat noted the amendment would be made. Subject to the Secretariat making the requested amendment, the Board agreed with the minutes.

Item 3: Update from the DPP

3.    The DPP provided an update on:
a.    Heads of Prosecution Agencies in the Commonwealth Conference
b.    Ukraine
c.    Q4 data and his reflections
d.    Ministerial Strategic Board (MSB) Feedback
e.    Forward look to September Senior Leadership Conference
f.    Staff resilience, resourcing and recruitment
3.1    The Board discussed how the CPS could approach future MSBs, noting the success of the DPP’s leading role on performance during the July MSB.
The Board also discussed hybrid working and the numbers of staff visiting CPS offices.

Item 4: Annual ARAC and NLRC Reports

4.    Max Looker presented the ARAC and Nominations, Leadership and Renumeration Committee (NLRC) annual reports for 2021-22. Max noted the NLRC annual report had not been through an NLRC meeting although it had been through the senior leadership team of People Function.
4.1    The Board noted the ARAC annual report should use the same wording on risk appetite used within the CPS Annual Reports and Accounts (ARA) for 2021-22. Max noted he would amend the ARAC annual report to reflect the wording used in the CPS ARA.
4.2    The Board approved the ARAC and NLRC annual reports for 2021-22.

Item 5: ICE Governance and Assurance

5.    Baljit Ubhey, Director of Strategy and Policy, and Dawn Brodrick, Chief People Officer, provided an update on ICE governance and assurance. Baljit outlined:
a.    Work undertaken to embed success measures within ICE strategy into a performance framework
b.    How specific success measures for ICE 2025 were designed using feedback from a range of stakeholders
c.    Redesigning the ICE Assurance framework as an interim measure, prior to developing an ICE dashboard
d.    Changes to the way CPS will deliver its statutory obligation to report on CPS equality objectives
e.    How progress reports will be provided to Executive Group and the Board on a bi-annual basis
f.    The creation of an independent steering group to oversee and assure the corporate response to the academic research into CPS charging decisions
5.1    The Board endorsed the assurance and governance approach to ICE 2025, jointly led by Baljit and Dawn. The Board encouraged Baljit and Dawn to maintain a focus on specific ICE measures and driving outcomes.
5.2    The Shadow Board Chair raised Shadow Board feedback on the communication of the ICE strategy across the organisation, noting the importance of EDI objectives running through the organisation. The Shadow Board Chair also raised how communications could draw attention to the importance of community engagement.
5.3    The Board discussed the latest research on disproportionality with Baljit. The Board noted the importance of receiving regular feedback on the substance and handling of the research. The Board agreed updates on disproportionality work would be provided to the Board on a quarterly basis.
5.4    Dawn provided an update on NBCPA recommendations.
5.5    The Board discussed the value of hearing directly from representatives of the nine staff networks across the CPS. The Board agreed to invite representatives from staff networks to future Board meetings. The Board noted January 2023 would be a suitable date to invite the Chair of the NBCPA, considering Dawn could also provide an update on the progress of NBCPA recommendations.

Item 6: Q1 Performance Report

6    Hayley Bird, Lead Performance Analyst, provided an update on Q1 2022/23 performance highlights.
6.1    The Board discussed how different illustrations of CPS performance can be drawn from different data sets. The Board noted the importance of the CJS viewing different illustrations of CPS performance as a total volume of work undertaken, as opposed to extrapolating CPS performance from one snapshot of information. Hayley noted CPS performance was above the linear projection to meet the government’s RASSO ambition.
6.2    The Shadow Board Chair raised a Shadow Board discussion on HMCTS and their forecasts for the number of sitting days available by 2024. The Board discussed ways the CPS can articulate how improvements can be made to the CJS that’s within CPS’s gift.
6.3    The Board discussed the reasons for Custody Time Limit failures.

Item 7: Operational Recovery

7    Tristan Bradshaw, Deputy Director of Operational Delivery, provided an update on operational recovery.
7.1    The Shadow Board Chair raised the joint HMCTS / CPS recovery group. Tristan discussed how the CPS will share granular detail with HMCTS to present a more acute picture of where resource is needed, and ultimately release pressure for staff on the CPS frontline.
7.2    The Board discussed with the Shadow Board Chair views from Shadow Board members on operational recovery. The Shadow Board Chair spoke of Shadow Board experience on the frontline, notably around wellbeing and pressure; the Shadow Board Chair also noted her concerns for the number of advocates planned for a newly designed central team to relive pressure on Areas.
7.3    The Non-Executive Board Members discussed a presentation they received on futures research, noting how the futures team could envisage different scenarios to prepare for possible broad changes to the CJS when it comes to Operational Recovery.

Item 8: Board Evaluation Exercise Update

8    The Board discussed the boards future composition, including membership and attendance.

AOB

9.    Board Members had no other business to declare. The Shadow Board Chair noted she would not be available for the CPS Board meeting on 31st October.

Secretariat
July 2022