CPS Board meeting minutes - June 2026

Tuesday 2 June 2026

Private Office Boardroom, Petty France/MS Teams

Members:

Caroline Corby (C), Stephen Parkinson, Grace Ononiwu (apologies), Julie Lennard, Steve Buckingham, Dr Subo Shanmuganathan, Dr Peter Kane, Rachel King, Manny Lewis

Guests:

Tristan Bradshaw, Coral Major, Jess Lewis, Doug Walker, Harvey Palmer, Helen Starkey, Megan Powell, Lindsey McNally

Secretariat:

Stephanie Bradshaw, Rebecca Bridge

Item 1: Declaration of Conflicts of Interest (including on any agenda item)

1.1  No new declarations of interest. 

Item 2: Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

2.1  Minutes of the last meeting approved. 

2.2  Actions March 01 to be updated understanding steps being taken on the victim communication review and pilot evaluation. 

Item 3: DPP Update

3.1  The DPP updated the Board on the response to antisemitism and hate crime, including new guidance for prosecutors, data disaggregation efforts, and engagement with community organisations.

Item 4: Finance Update

4.1  Steve Buckingham, Coral Major, and Jessica Lewis outlined the organisation's commitments under the government efficiency framework, including target efficiencies through digital programs, continuous improvement, and advocacy strategy.

4.2  The Board queried the achievability of savings, particularly in areas like digital jury bundles and advocacy strategy. The concerns were acknowledged, noting that if efficiencies are not realised, alternative savings must be found, and that confidence levels are being closely monitored. Jessica described plans to assess the realism of efficiency benefits across all programmes, with the intention to prioritise and adjust funding as needed. The results of this evaluation will inform the medium-term financial plan, to be presented in the Autumn. Board members requested more narrative detail on the cashability of savings and the delivery of programmes in future reports. The Board was given an overview of HMTs Project Reset and new reporting processes to the AG.

Item 5: Q4 Performance & Business Plan Update

5.1  Tristan Bradshaw reported that seven out of twelve KPIs were met, with improvements in several areas such as charging decisions within 28 days and victim letter timeliness, though some targets were missed. Tristan noted the best performance in four years for charging decisions. Tristan noted that 26 out of 34 business plan deliverables were achieved, setting a strong foundation for the next year. Missed deliverables included workforce planning, digital jury bundles, and certain guidance documents delayed by external factors.

5.2  The Board discussed operational improvements and ongoing challenges in the courts. It was confirmed the CTL process is under review following a HMCPSI report, with efforts to balance assurance and efficiency.

5.3  Tristan noted quality and timeliness of victim letters and differences between internal and external quality assurance reviews. Work is ongoing to reconcile these differences and improve both timeliness and quality, with further updates to be provided.

Action June 01: DPP and Caroline to issue joint comms following the success of a strong performance in 25-26.

Item 6: Draft Annual Report and Accounts

6.1  Steve Buckingham, Coral Major, and Doug Walker thanked colleagues for their feedback on the report and clarified approach and timing of making further updates. The team committed to providing feedback on which suggestions were adopted.

6.2  The Board provided further feedback on the report. Steve explained that the order and content of some sections are dictated by government reporting requirements. It was agreed to explore options for condensing content and improving readability within these constraints.

6.3  The Board requested earlier and more coordinated feedback from Non-Executive Directors in future years. The Chair agreed to coordinate this process.

Item 7: Casework Update

7.1  Harvey Palmer presented a review of a recent high-profile case, outlining lessons learned and improvements in crisis management.

7.2  The Board discussed the importance of proactive communication, both internally and with external stakeholders. The Board commended the openness of the review, as well as continued emphasis on learning.

Item 8: Employment Rights Act

8.1  Helen Starkey and Megan Powell outlined ongoing work to update policies in line with the Employment Rights Act. Positive discussions with unions have taken place, and further work is planned as new provisions come into effect.

8.2  The Board raised the issue of shorter and more effective probationary periods. Helen confirmed that the organisation is developing plans to make earlier decisions on new hires and is exploring policy options to ensure readiness for the legislative changes.

Item 9: ARAC Update

9.1  The Chair of ARAC provided an overview of discussions on HMCPSI and GIAA reports, risk and Whistleblowing.

Item 10: AOB

10.1  The Board thanked Lindsey McNally for her contribution to the Shadow Board.

Meeting ended