CPS Board meeting minutes - May 2023

2nd May 2023, 13:30-16:30, via Microsoft Teams

Members

Monica Burch (Chair), Max Hill KC, Mark Hammond, Kathryn Stone, Dr Subo Shanmuganathan, Greg McGill, Dawn Brodrick

Guests

Steve Buckingham (attending all items), James Crutchley (attending item 4), Baljit Ubhey (attending item 5), Scott Dawes (attending item 5), Lynette Woodrow (attending item 6), Andy Read (attending item 7), Heidi Stonecliffe

Secretariat

Max Looker, Naomi Clarke

Apologies

Simon Jeffreys

Item 1: Declaration of any conflicts

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

1.2    Apologies were noted from Simon Jeffreys.

Item 2: Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

2.1    The Board reviewed and agreed the minutes, noting that all actions were in hand.

Item 3: Update from the DPP

3.1    The DPP provided an update on:

a.    Lead Director appointments
b.    Legal appetite under the new MOJ
c.    Casework
d.    Backlog

Item 4: Draft Annual Report and Accounts

4.1    James Crutchley and Steve Buckingham provided an update on the draft Annual Reports and Accounts for feedback, focusing on the following key points:

• Final audit begins 2nd May 2023.
• Overspend has been offset in line with parliamentary totals.
• Budget exchange has been utilised.
• The timetable for the publication of the accounts.

4.2    The Board queried the location of the Board accountability within the report. It was confirmed that the structure follows the public sector financial handbook but would be reviewed against the reporting manual and raised with HMT.

4.3    The Shadow Board inquired into the consequences in breaching HMT rules. Steve confirmed the CPS will be reprimanded but that the overspend aligns with the increase in frontline activity and productivity.

4.4    The Board also discussed producing a more digestible format of the Annual Report and Accounts for external stakeholders and for staff engagement.

4.5    The Board commended the work that had been undertaken to date and it was confirmed that CPS would be ready to publish the Estates strategy by June 2023 (Action March 4).

Item 5: Business Plan 22/23 Progress Report

5.1    The Board welcomed Baljit Ubhey and Scott Dawes to the meeting. They provided an update on the 22/23 Business Plan and development of the 23/24 Plan. They highlighted the following key points:

• There was an increased output delivery with consistent re-baselining.
• There was a plan to counter optimism bias through checks and holistic reporting.
• Future reporting would be delivered quarterly at EG.
• Milestones, measures, and metrics for outputs have been set for review.

5.2    The Board queried the reasons behind the re-baselined outputs. Scott identified a lack of available information, continual underestimation, delays, and capability issues. Scott also confirmed that changes to address these issues and provide further scrutiny would be in place as part of the 2023/24 Business plan.

5.3    Board members asked about the management of significant change and programmes. Baljit confirmed that change transformation through governance oversight and improved processes within Directorates will form part of ongoing discussions.

5.4    The Board suggested prioritising the assessment of staff capability and programme capacity to ensure that project focus is not diluted. Baljit confirmed that the future reporting structure will assist the Board and EG in making targeted interventions. The Board also discussed the possibility of an ARAC deep dive to provide assurance to the Board that risks had been identified and were being appropriately mitigated. Baljit said she would consider this although the timing may not be right.

5.5    Comments from the Shadow Board included the need for analytics earlier in the planning process and commended the revised reporting template as an early assessment tool.

Item 6: Casework Strategy

6.1    The Board welcomed Lynette Woodrow to the meeting. Greg and Lynette provided an update on the Casework Strategy change programme The key points included:

• A decline in case strategy performance requires process intervention.
• Internal cultural change will be necessary to address quality.
• The Action plan to monitor progress, risks, and mitigation needed to have individuals to be assigned and a governance structure to be formed.

6.2    Comments from the Shadow Board included the need for positive communication and to build organisational knowledge.

6.3    The Board commented that delivery will require cross-organisational buy-in with delivery at a local level. It was also suggested that Change champions are recruited to advocate change and ensure cultural embedding.

6.4    The DPP welcomed the idea of champions and noted their beneficial impact in other areas of change during the last few years.

Item 7: People Dashboard

7.1    The Board welcomed Andy Read to the meeting. Dawn and Andy provided an overview of the People Data Dashboard for consideration.

7.2    The Board commended the positive work that had been undertaken in highlighting issues for further analysis. The Board also commented that an interim survey metric would be a valuable addition to gauge staff sentiment throughout the year.

7.3    The Board also suggested splitting employee turnover and legal trainee datasets by Equality, Diversity and Inclusion metrics.

Item 8: AOB

8.1    Doug Wilson (AGO) will be joining the July Board Meeting.

Meeting closed.

Secretariat – Max Looker & Naomi Clarke

May 2023