The Crown Prosecution Service
Annual Report and Accounts 2025-2026

Remuneration report

Service contracts

The Constitutional Reform and The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 requires Civil Service appointments to be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Recruitment Principles published by the Civil Service Commission specify the circumstances when appointments may be made otherwise.

Except as noted below, the officials covered by this report hold appointments which are open-ended. Early termination, other than for misconduct, would result in the individual receiving compensation as set out in the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Further information about the work of the Civil Service Commission can be found at https://civilservicecommission.org.uk

All NEBMs have fixed term contracts as per table below. It should be noted that NEBMs can serve up to two terms of three years each.

Our two non-executive ARAC Members have the following fixed term contracts:

Either party may terminate the contract for any reason before the expiry of the fixed period by providing three month’s written notice. If the appointment is terminated early by mutual consent no notice will be given by the CPS. No compensation is payable to non-executive board members for early termination of their contract.

Remuneration policy

The remuneration of CPS Senior Civil Servants is set according to guidance provided by the Cabinet Office, with reference to recommendations made by the Review Body on Senior Salaries. The Review Body provides independent advice to the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor, among others, on the

remuneration of holders of judicial office, Senior Civil Servants and other such public appointments as may be specified. The Review Body may, if requested,

also advise the Prime Minister on peers’ allowances and on the pay, pensions and allowances of Ministers and others whose pay is determined by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. In reaching its recommendations, the Review Body is to have regard to the following considerations:

• The need to recruit, retain, motivate and, where relevant, promote suitably able and qualified people to exercise their different responsibilities.
• Regional/local variations in labour markets and their effects on the recruitment, retention and where relevant, promotion of staff.
• Government policies for improving public services including the requirement on departments to meet the output targets for the delivery of departmental services.
• The funds available to departments as set out in the government’s departmental expenditure limits.
• The government’s inflation target.
• Evidence it receives about wider economic considerations and the affordability of its recommendations.

Further information about the Review Body can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/review-body-on-senior-salaries/about.

Our Remuneration Committee (RemCom) acts as the pay committee for our senior management team.

RemCom is tasked with considering the relative contributions of our senior employees, paying due regard to completed performance reports, consistency and scope of objectives and the impact of external factors. It will then provide assurance with respect to pay outcomes in line with Cabinet Office guidance.

The pay settlement for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) from 1 April 2025 adhered to government policy which allowed for a 3.25% consolidated pay award for eligible employees, with a further 0.5% to make additional awards to address pay anomalies, including but not limited to mitigating skills gaps and addressing equal pay issues.

Additionally, non-consolidated Performance Related Pay (NCPRP) awards were considered.

A budget of 3.3% of the total SCS pay bill was available for the NCPRP pot. The actual distribution of PRP payments was 3.19% of the SCS pay bill.

Remuneration (including salary) and pension entitlements

The following sections provide details of the remuneration and pension interests of our most senior management. This is considered to be the membership of the CPS Board and the Executive Group.

Remuneration (salary, benefits in kind, and pensions) (audited)

The following table shows 2025-26 senior management remuneration, with 2024-25 comparatives:

Senior management	Year	Salary1 £000	Bonus payments £000	Benefits in kind £000	Pension benefits2 £000	Total £000
Stephen Parkinson Director of Public Prosecutions	2025-26	265-270	-	-	39	305-310
	2024-25	255-260	-	-	26	280-285
Julie Lennard Chief Operating Officer (from 25 November 2024)	2025-26	165-170	-	-	64	230-235
	2024-25	55-60 (fye 160-165)	-	-	69	125-130
Grace Ononiwu Director General Legal Delivery (from 9 June 2025) Director of Legal Services (to 8 June 2025)	2025-26	155-160	10-15	-	184	350-355
	2024-25	135-140	10-15	-	91	240-245
Steve O’Connor Chief Digital and Information Officer  (from 31 March 2025)	2025-26	140-145	-	-	56	195-200
	2024-25	– (fye 135-140)	-	-	-	-
Steve Buckingham Chief Finance Officer	2025-26	130-135	10-15	-	38	180-185
	2024-25	130-135	5-10	-	84	220-225
Helen Starkey Chief People Officer (from 1 July 2024)	2025-26	105-110	-	-	107	210-215
	2024-25	95-100	5-10	-	113	215-220
Lisa Benbow Director of Communications (from 8 April 2024)	2025-26	100-105	5-10	-	40	150-155
	2024-25	95-100	-	-	38	135-140
Nick Price Director of Legal Services (from 13 May 2024)	2025-26	130-135	-	-	56	185-190
	2024-25	125-130	5-10	-	118	250-255
Suzanne Llewellyn Director of Legal Services (from 7 July 2025)	2025-26	120-125 (fye 125-130)	-	-	35	155-160
	2024-25	-	-	-	-	-
Tristan Bradshaw Director of Operational Change and Delivery (to 9 February 2025) Director of Transformation and Change (from 9 February 2025)	2025-26	110-115	-	-	62	170-175
	2024-25	105-110	-	-	71	175-180
Baljit Ubhey Director of Policy	2025-26	150-155	5-10	-	51	210-215
	2024-25	140-145	5-10	-	94	240-245

Non-executive Board members	Year	Salary1 £000	Bonus payments £000	Benefits in kind £000	Pension benefits2 £000	Total £000
Caroline Corby Lead non-executive board member (from 1 September 2025)	2025-26	10-15 (fye 20-25)	-	-	-	10-15
	2024-25	-	-	-	-	-
Monica Burch Lead non-executive Board Member  (to 25 July 2025)	2025-26	5-10 (fye 15-20)	-	-	-	5-10
	2024-25	20-25	-	-	-	20-25
Rachel King (from 17 November 2025)	2025-26	0-5 (fye 10-15)	-	-	-	0-5
	2024-25	-	-	-	-	-
Manny Lewis (from 17 November 2025)	2025-26	0-5 (fye 10-15)	-	0.2	-	5-10
	2024-25	-	-	-	-	-
Dr Subo Shanmuganathan	2025-26	10-15	-	1.1	-	10-15
	2024-25	10-15	-	0.8	-	10-15
Dr Peter Kane (from 12 December 2024)	2025-26	15-20	-	-	-	15-20
	2024-25	– (fye 10-5)	-	0.3	-	0-5

1. Full year equivalent salaries are disclosed where they differ from the disclosed banding.

2. The value of pension benefits accrued during the year is calculated as (the real increase in pension multiplied by 20) plus (the real increase in any lump sum) less (the contributions made by the individual). The real increases exclude increases due to inflation or any increase or decreases due to a transfer of pension rights. Stephen Parkinson has a partnership pension and pension benefits include contributions of £26k were paid into this scheme during 2024-25.

Salary includes gross salary; overtime; reserved rights to London weighting or London allowances; recruitment and retention allowances; private office allowances and any other allowance to the extent that it is subject to UK taxation. This report is based on accrued payments we made and thus recorded in these accounts.

Benefits in kind covers any benefits we provided and treated by HM Revenue & Customs as a taxable emolument. Where expenses are for home to office travel, this is assessed by HM Revenue & Customs as constituting a benefit in kind. We pay the tax and national insurance contributions due on the benefits in kind. Stephen Parkinson has a partnership pension.

Bonuses are based on performance levels attained and are made as part of the appraisal process. Bonuses are reported in the year in which they become payable to the individual. Unless otherwise indicated, the bonuses reported in 2025-26 relate to performance in 2024-25 and the comparative bonuses reported for 2024-25 relate to performance in 2023-24.

Pension benefits (audited)

	Accrued pension at pension age as at 31 March 2026 and related lump sum £000	Real increase in pension and related lump sum at pension age £000	CETV at 31 March 2026 £000	CETV at 31 March 2025 £000	Real increase in CETV1,2,3,4 £000
Stephen Parkinson5  Director of Public Prosecutions	-	-	-	-	-
Julie Lennard Chief Operating Officer (from 25 November 2024)	50-55	2.5-5	850	764	46
Grace Ononiwu Director General Legal Delivery (from 9 June 2025) Director of Legal Services (to 8 June 2025)	70-75 plus a lump sum of 175-180	7.5-10 plus a lump sum of 15-17.5	1,723	1,453	183
Steve O’Connor Chief Digital and Information Officer (from 31 March 2025)	0-5	2.5-5	47	-	37
Steve Buckingham Chief Finance Officer	45-50	0-2.5	1,005	924	24
Helen Starkey Chief People Officer (from 1 July 2024)	45-50 plus a lump sum of 115-120	5-7.5 plus a lump sum of 7.5-10	1,089	934	97
Lisa Benbow Director of Communications (from 8 April 2024)	15-20	0-2.5	228	188	26
Suzanne Llewellyn Director of Legal Services (from 7 July 2025)	0-5	0-2.5	33	0	26
Tristan Bradshaw Director of Operational Change and Delivery (to 9 February 2025) Director of Transformation and Change (from 9 February 2025)	50-55 plus a lump sum of 125-130	2.5-5 plus a lump sum of 0-2.5	1,151	1,040	49
Baljit Ubhey Director of Policy	65-70 plus a lump sum of 165-170	2.5-5 plus a lump sum of 0-2.5	1,575	1,455	34
Nick Price Director of Legal Services (from 13 May 2024)	45-50 plus a lump sum of 110-115	2.5-5 plus a lump sum of 0-2.5	1,055	956	41

1. CETV at 31 March 2025 is nil where an individual did not join the Executive Group during 2024-25.

2. Final salary member (classic/classic plus/premium) who has transitioned to alpha. The final salary pension of a person in employment is calculated by reference to their pay and length of service. The pension will increase from one year to the next by virtue of any pay rise during the year. Where there is no or a small pay rise, the increase in pension due to extra service may not be sufficient to offset the inflation increase – that is, in real terms, the pension value can reduce, hence the negative values.

3. Any members affected by the Public Service Pensions Remedy were reported in the 2015 scheme for the period between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 in 2022-23. Accrued pension benefits included in this table for any individual affected by the Public Service Pensions Remedy have been calculated based on their inclusion in the legacy scheme for the period between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022, following the McCloud judgment. The Public Service Pensions Remedy applies to individuals that were members, or eligible to be members, of a public service pension scheme on 31 March 2012 and were members of a public service pension scheme between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. The basis for the calculation reflects the legal position that impacted members have been rolled back into the relevant legacy scheme for the remedy period and that this will apply unless the member actively exercises their entitlement on retirement to decide instead to receive benefits calculated under the terms of the Alpha scheme for the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022.

4. CETV figures are calculated using the guidance on discount rates for calculating unfunded public service pension contribution rates that was extant at 31 March 2026. HM Treasury published updated guidance on 27 April 2023; this guidance will be used in the calculation of 2025-26 CETV figures.

5. Stephen Parkinson opted to switch from a Civil Service pension to a partnership pension in 2024-25 – no disclosure required. In 2025-26 employer contributions totalling £39,000 were made to the partnership pension provider for him (2024-25: £26,000)

Civil Service pensions

Pension benefits are provided through the Civil Service pension arrangements. Before 1 April 2015, the only scheme was the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS), which is divided into a few different sections – classic, premium and classic plus provide benefits on a final salary basis, whilst nuvos provides benefits on a career average basis. From 1 April 2015 a new pension scheme for civil servants was introduced – the Civil Servants and Others Pension Scheme or alpha, which provides benefits on a career average basis. All newly appointed civil servants, and the majority of those already in service, joined the new scheme.

The PCSPS and alpha are unfunded statutory schemes. Employees and employers make contributions (employee contributions range between 4.6% and 8.05%, depending on salary). The balance of the cost of benefits in payment is met by monies voted by Parliament each year. Pensions in payment are increased annually in line with the Pensions Increase legislation. Instead of the defined benefit arrangements, employees may opt for a defined contribution pension with an employer contribution, the partnership pension account.

In alpha, pension builds up at a rate of 2.32% of pensionable earnings each year, and the total amount accrued is adjusted annually in line with a rate set by HM Treasury. Members may opt to give up (commute) pension for a lump sum up to the limits set by the Finance Act 2004. All members who switched to alpha from the PCSPS had their PCSPS benefits ‘banked’, with those with earlier benefits in one of the final salary sections of the PCSPS having those benefits based on their final salary when they leave alpha.

Normal pension age is 60 for members of classic, premium, and classic plus, 65 for members of nuvos, and the higher of 65 or State Pension Age for members of alpha. The pension figures in this report show pension earned in PCSPS or alpha – as appropriate. Where a member has benefits in both the PCSPS and alpha, the figures show the combined value of their benefits in the two schemes but note that the constituent parts of that pension may be payable from different ages.

When the government introduced new public service pension schemes in 2015, there were transitional arrangements which treated existing scheme members differently based on their age. Older members of the PCSPS remained in that scheme, rather than moving to alpha. In 2018, the Court of Appeal found that the transitional arrangements in the public service pension schemes unlawfully discriminated against younger members.

As a result, steps are being taken to remedy those 2015 reforms, making the pension scheme provisions fair to all members. The public service pensions remedy is made up of two parts. The first part closed the PCSPS on 31 March 2022, with all active members becoming members of alpha from 1 April 2022. The second part removes the age discrimination for the remedy period, between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022, by moving the membership of eligible members during this period back into the PCSPS on 1 October 2023. This is known as “rollback”.

The partnership pension account is an occupational defined contribution pension arrangement which is part of the Legal & General Mastertrust. The employer makes a basic contribution of between 8% and 14.75% (depending on the age of the member).

The employee does not have to contribute but, where they do make contributions, the employer will match these up to a limit of 3% of pensionable salary (in addition to the employer’s basic contribution). Employers also contribute a further 0.5% of pensionable salary to cover the cost of centrally provided risk benefit cover (death in service and ill health retirement).

Further details about the Civil Service pension arrangements can be found at the website www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk.

Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETV)

A CETV is the actuarially assessed capitalised value of the pension scheme benefits accrued by a member at a particular point in time. The benefits valued are the member’s accrued benefits and any contingent spouse’s pension payable from the scheme. A CETV is a payment made by a pension scheme or arrangement to secure pension benefits in another pension scheme or arrangement when the member leaves a scheme and chooses to transfer the benefits accrued in their former scheme. The pension figures shown relate to the benefits that the individual has accrued as a consequence of their total membership of the pension scheme, not just their service in a senior capacity to which disclosure applies.

The figures include the value of any pension benefit in another scheme or arrangement which the member has transferred to the Civil Service pension arrangements. They also include any additional pension benefit accrued to the member as a result of their buying additional pension benefits at their own cost. CETVs are worked out in accordance with The Occupational Pension Schemes (Transfer Values) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 and do not take account of any actual or potential reduction to benefits resulting from Lifetime Allowance Tax which may be due when pension benefits are taken.

Real increase in CETV

This reflects the increase in CETV that is funded by the employer. It does not include the increase in accrued pension due to inflation, contributions paid by the employee (including the value of any benefits transferred from another pension scheme or arrangement) and uses common market valuation factors for the start and end of the period.

Fair pay disclosures (audited)

Reporting bodies are required to disclose the relationship between the remuneration of the highest- paid director in their organisation and the median remuneration of the organisation’s workforce.

The banded remuneration of the highest-paid director in the CPS in the financial year 2025-26 was £265,000-£270,000) (2024-25: £295,000-£300,000). This was 6.0 times (2024-25: 6.8 times) the median remuneration of the workforce, which was £44,444 (2024-25: £43,379).

In 2025-26, no (2024-25: nil) employee received remuneration in excess of the highest paid director. Remuneration ranged from £20,000 to £270,000 (2024-25: £20,000 to £295,000).

Pay includes salary, non-consolidated performance related pay, and benefits in kind. It does not include severance payments, employer pension contributions and the cash equivalent transfer value of pensions.

The following table shows the percentage change from the previous financial year for salaries and allowances and for performance pay and bonuses payable in respect of the highest paid director, based on the mid-point of the salary band:

	2025-26 £	2024-25 £	Change1 %
Salary and allowances	266,556	297,500	-10.4
Performance and bonus pay	-	-	-
Total remuneration	266,556	297,500	-10.4

1. For 2025-26, the highest paid director was the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). For 2024-25, the highest paid director was an interim staff member recruited via the Public Sector Resourcing framework for six weeks.

The following table shows the average percentage change from the previous financial year for salaries and allowances and for performance pay and bonuses in respect of all employees taken as a whole, excluding the highest paid director and non-executive board members.

	2025-26 £	2024-25 £	Change %
Salary and allowances	50,655	49,463	2.4
Performance and bonus pay	19	350	-94.6
Total remuneration	50,674	49,813	1.7

The following table shows the ratio between the highest paid director’s total pay and benefits and the salary component of their total pay and benefits, and the lower quartile, median and upper quartile remuneration of our workforce:

	25th percentile pay		Median pay		75th percentile pay
	2025-26	2024-25	2025-26	2024-25	2025-26	2024-25
Salary (£)	32,430	31,419	44,444	43,006	65,769	64,250
Bonus (£)	-	302	-	373	-	373
Total pay and benefits (£)	32,430	31,721	44,444	43,379	65,769	64,623
Total pay and benefits (ratio)	8.2	9.3	6.0	6.8	4.1	4.6

The decrease in ‘total pay and benefits’ ratios from the previous year is due to an anomaly caused by the engagement of an interim director for a six-week period, which disproportionately inflated the ratios in 2024-25.

In contrast to the bonus allocation of 2024-25 paid to all staff, the 2025-26 year featured a more targeted bonus approach paid to a small number of staff.