CPS Board meeting minutes - March 2024

7 March 2024, 14:00-17:00, 102 Petty France/MS Teams

Members

Monica Burch (Chair), Stephen Parkinson, Subo Shanmuganathan, Dawn Brodrick, Greg McGill

Guests

Steve Buckingham (attending all items), Baljit Ubhey, Scott Dawes, Tristan Bradshaw, Helen Starkey, Lou Gray

Secretariat

Max Looker, Stephanie Bradshaw

Apologies

Kathryn Stone, Simon Jeffreys

Item 1: Declaration of Interests

1.1    No additional conflicts of interest were raised.

1.2    It was noted that Lou Gray, Chair of the Shadow Board, was attending and would excuse herself for part of People Update item.

Item 2: Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

2.1     The Board reviewed and agreed the minutes.

2.2     One action was closed following an update during the meeting.  

Item 3: Update from the DPP

3.1     The DPP provided an update on:

a.    Hybrid Working

• Consultation process had closed and there were positive discussions with Trade Unions, which has ensured the organisation, and its people, are at the heart of any discussions.
• EG are due to discuss the revised policy later in the month, incorporating feedback from the Trade Unions meetings.

b.    Area Visits

• Eleven of the fourteen Area Visits have been completed.  All have gone well and have provided an opportunity for staff feedback.
• Visits have also included sessions with local Chief Constables and the judiciary.
• The DPP intends to continue with a program of Area visits to ensure visibility an opportunity for him to listen to staff.

c.    Protests

d.    CPS Budget

e.    Backlog

• One of the main issues relates to the lack of Crown Advocates.
• Work is underway to increase the number of Advocates in the CPS and to provide a more attractive career path.

f.    Prison Capacity

3.2     The Board commended the work to increase the number of Crown Advocates in the CPS and to mitigate the risk of staff attrition. It was confirmed that there was a need to revise the CPS Workforce Plan because of these changes and the Board requested an update in the near future.  

Item 4: Case Strategy

4.1     Greg provided an update on Case Strategy, focusing on the following key points:

• Project is moving forward but there remain challenges around the culture of staff and teams.
• Although the project is expected to be completed in October 2024, it is likely that a longer change piece will be required to ensure that BAU can be embedded.

4.2     The Shadow Board Chair noted their discussion around prosecutor confidence and the ineffectiveness of CMS to support this work but that there was a real appetite across the CPS to get this right.

4.3     The Board suggested that there should be a focus on changing the way the CPS works, with a move towards progressing unless there is a barrier to doing so, rather than only progressing if everything is in place.  

4.4    It was agreed that this would return to the Board for an update on changes to the culture and on implementation.

Item 5: Q3 CPS Performance

5.1     The Chair welcomed Tristan to the meeting, and he provided the following key points.

• Charging model has been rolled out across all Areas, apart from London.
• Charging performance is improving overall, due to the expansion of responsibilities in the central prosecutor team and the roll out of the model.
• Q3 is showing a reduction of cases but there remains pressure in the Southwest and Wales.
• JOIB will be reviewing a new dashboard on Police file quality.

5.2     The Board welcomed the concise and informative performance pack. Board members raised concerns about the increase in CTL failures and were provided with assurance that weekly meetings were taking place with the aim of preventing the delays.

5.3     The Board also queried the performance of the London Areas. It was agreed that the Board be provided with an informal session in the near future to provide assurance that all issues were being identified that the that work being implemented was having the necessary impact.

Item 6: Business Plan 2024/25

6.1     The Board welcomed Baljit Ubhey and Scott Dawes to the meeting.  Baljit and Scott provided an overview of the key issues, including:

• The changes that had been requested by EG following the last Board meeting.
• Milestones were still being developed with the business.
• The Business Plan would need to be ratified by the Ministerial Strategic Board in April prior to publication.  

6.2     The Board welcomed the inclusion of a greater focus on victims, which had been a suggestion made by the Board and made the document feel more emotionally intelligent. The Board also suggested that for future updates they would only need to be provided with an overview rather than the detail from Business Plan updates. Although it was good to see the internal workings of the process at this stage, that level of detail would not be required for future meetings.

6.3     The Shadow Board confirmed that they were supportive of the Business Plan, suggesting that it was important to make the document seem more alive for people across the organisation.

Item 7: Strategy 2030

7.1    Baljit and Scott provided an overview of the content development and the early thinking on the mobilisation strategy and communications required over the coming months.

7.2    It was noted that there was a role for senior leaders and SPD were aiming to use the SLC to drive the alignment of the organisation with the final Strategic document.   It was also noted that Subo would be acting as the sponsor for the 2030 Strategy.

7.3    The Board welcomed the update but suggested that there was a need to employ more simplistic language to ensure the reader could engage with the process and that the plan to deliver over the course of the next 12 months may be too long and would risk a decrease in enthusiasm.

7.4     The Board also suggested that the Comms team be heavily involved in the early stages in the development of the 2030 document as they had the expertise in this area and could help achieve staff buy-in.

7.5    The DPP suggested, and the Board agreed that there needed to be some headspace to fully consider all options for the 2030 strategy and that it should be developed alongside the CJS partners, including the Police. It was also noted that the SLC should focus on the achievements of the 2025 Strategy and the Business Plan rather than the development of the 2030 Strategy.

7.6     The Shadow Board highlighted the need for a less complicated and formulaic approach and recommended putting into practice some learning from other exercises, including utilising more face-to-face engagement than was being suggested. It was also thought that the 2030 Strategy should link to teams and roles so individuals could easily identify their own contributions.

Item 8: People Update

8.1    Helen Starkey joined the meeting and Dawn provided an update on the approach to the People. It was noted that the intention is to look to transform leadership in the CPS and improve management capability by modelling excellence.   Dawn also suggested that this was an opportunity to look at leadership in a change context and in developing a more empowered leadership cadre.

8.2    Dawn confirmed that in the past there had been a tendency to shift from strategic intent straight to holding managers to account for delivery. This was not providing the necessary results and the Executive would need to define a new approach to change the culture of leadership in the CPS.

8.3    The Chair requested a summary of the Shadow Board’s views on Hybrid Working. Lou confirmed that the SB appreciated the need and complexity of the work but there were issues with the internal communication of the intended changes. The Shadow Board also commented that there was a risk that some of the improved working practices developed during the pandemic would be lost and there would be a negative impact on the recruitment and retention of key staff.

8.4     The Chair asked Lou Gray to leave the meeting for a closed discussion on Hybrid Working and Senior Structures.

8.5    The DPP confirmed that discussions with Trade Unions were robust and challenging but there was a clear agreement on a way forward by the end of the initial meeting.

8.6    The Board welcomed the update and commended the Executive for the approach they had taken with the Trade Unions, and it was noted that the issues being identified were consistent across all organisations.

Item 9:  AOB

9.1    There was no further business raised.

Secretariat – Max Looker & Stephanie Bradshaw

March 2024