CPS Board meeting minutes - March 2025
Members
Monica Burch (Chair) (Lead Non-Executive Board Member), Stephen Parkinson (DPP), Dr Peter Kane (NEBM and chair of ARAC), Dr Subo Shanmuganathan (NEBM), Steve Buckingham (CFO), Julie Lennard (COO), Kathryn Stone (NEBM and chair of REMCOM)
Guests
James Crutchley (Deputy Director of Finance, Risk & Assurance), Baljit Ubhey (Director of Policy), Rose Cowley (Senior Strategy Advisor), Alastair McMahon (Interim Head of Sustainability), Ali Coles (Deputy Director of Operational Performance), Emma Tebbutt (Deputy Director of Operational Delivery), Lindsay McNally (Shadow Board Chair)
Secretariat
Max Looker
Apologies
None
Item 1: Declaration of any conflicts
1.1 The Chair confirmed that Kathryn Stone had accepted a role as the HM Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue for Wales and the South-West and would be stepping down from the CPS Board following this meeting. The DPP and Chair thanked Kathryn for her support during her time on the Board and for the different perspectives she provided on a range of issues.
1.2 No additional conflicts were identified.
Item 2: Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising
2.1 The Board reviewed and agreed the minutes.
Item 3: Update from the COO
3.1 The COO provided an update on the following key points:
3.2 Senior Leadership
Tristan Bradshaw had been appointed as Director of Transformation & Change taking up post immediately.
Lee Noon had been recruited on an interim basis to provide cover until the new CDIO joined in April.
3.3 EG Awayday
The COO confirmed that awayday was a success, with a focus on leadership.
3.4 Independent Assessor of Complaints (IAC)
The COO confirmed that the IAC had started in his role.
Item 4: Q3 Performance
4.1 Ali Coles and Emma Tebbutt joined the meeting and provided an update on the following key issues:
- Improvements were being identified across a range of KPIs
- Cases outside of SLA were down
- Caseloads were still increasing
- There were 11k CTLs in the system, with only eight failures during Q3
4.2 The Board queried what processes existed to share good practice as well as ensure areas for improvement were not replicated across Areas and if there was any opportunity to be agile with RASSO resources to manage fluctuating demand. Ali confirmed that there were opportunities to share best practice with Areas through the quarterly rape insight function.
4.3 The DPP confirmed that demand differed across the country, often due to external factors, but there was a consistent picture of those Areas under the most pressure struggling to meet KPIs.
Item 5: Spending Review Phase Two
5.1 Baljit Ubhey and Rose Cowley joined the meeting and, with Steve Buckingham, presented an update on the progress of the Spending Review phase two.
5.2 The Chair noted the detailed presentation from the pre-meet and thanked the team for their work to date, highlighting the quality of the data and narrative provided.
5.3 Peter volunteered to continue to be a point of contact as ARAC chair should ongoing NEBM input be sought.
Item 6: Business Plan Q3 update & 2025/26
6.1 Steve, Baljit, and Rose remained for the item and confirmed that the Q3 update had been completed with a more streamlined process due to resourcing pressures. It was noted that there had been an increase in delivery confidence albeit with some elements of the plan being delayed to 2025/26.
6.2 With regards to the 2025/26 Business Plan, it was confirmed that EG were reviewing a final version at the end of March, which included a much higher level of detail and incorporated corporate programmes of work alongside operational metrics to provide a more balanced plan.
6.3 The Board confirmed that, while the decision to include detail in the published plan was an Executive decision, it was a strong advocate for including targets and deadlines as a mechanism for increasing accountability and performance management.
6.4 The Board confirmed that it wanted sight of the Business Plan prior to publication.
Item 7: Strategy 2030
7.1 Steve, Baljit, and Rose remained for the item.
7.2 The Chair confirmed that the Board terms of reference require the Board to agree the strategic direction of the CPS and as such are being asked to recommend to the DPP that the CPS 2030 Strategy be signed off. However, the Board were reluctant to do as the Spending Review could materially affect what was being put forward.
7.3 The DPP and COO confirmed that the delay of publication was appropriate as there were too many unknowns and to await the outcome of the Spending Review.
Item 8: Sustainability
8.1 Alastair McMahon joined the meeting and provided an overview of CPS sustainability issues in line with the requirements for the Annual Report and Accounts.
8.2 The Board noted that the CPS was currently compliant with green Government commitments and with the Taskforce on Climate related Financial Disclosure (TCFD).
8.3 The Board noted the risks related to GPA and availability of data.
8.4 It was agreed that an update would be provided to the Board in six months’ time.
Item 9: AOB
9.1 There were no matters raised as AOB.
Meeting closed.
Secretariat – Max Looker
March 2025