Thursday 22 January 2026
Boardroom, 102 Petty France

Members

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

Guests

Baljit Ubhey, David Beaumont, Vikki Whittaker, Rose Cowley, Izzy Isgate, Helen Starkey

Secretariat

Stephanie Bradshaw, Rebecca Bridge

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

1.1    No additional interests were raised.

Item 2: Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

2.1    Minutes to the last meeting where approved and the following actions updated:

• VAWG - The Board members agreed to review the April minutes to clarify the original intent and determine whether the action should be closed or updated with a new timeline.
• Legal Leadership - The Chair shared concerns for the delay and ongoing requirement. Grace explained the delay has been to unprecedented volume of senior recruitment, due to structural changes and retirements and committed to being a position to provide an update by March.

2.2    The Chair placed emphasis on not allowing actions to remain unresolved for extended periods and advocated for more disciplined closure or updating of Board actions to maintain accountability.

Item 3: DPP Update

3.1    The DPP updated the Board on upcoming activities and engagement:

• Upcoming media engagement, timed to follow significant government announcements on police reform, Leveson, and marking his 2-year anniversary.
• Outlined key messages on the Leveson reform including the focus on victim impact, backlog reduction, and judicial perspectives, with reference to government proposals to remove the right to elect jury trial and extend magistrates' sentencing powers. Noted constructive engagement with judiciary and the Bar regarding Judge-only trials.

Item 4: Finance Report

4.1    Steve Buckingham reported little change in the financial forecast, indicating stability and a strong position, but noted the risk of increased scrutiny due to potential underspending.

4.2    Steve proposed a detailed session on productivity metrics and the use of the dashboard, suggesting this take place at the March meeting to align with the budget cycle and allow for in-depth discussion of Area variations and efficiency initiatives.

4.3    Steve outlined the organization's commitment to the government efficiency framework, including reporting £6.7 million in efficiencies primarily from digital initiatives.

4.4    The Chair noted challenge from the Shadow Board challenged on evidencing productivity gains. The Board discussed the importance of modelling the potential productivity gains if all Areas achieved top quartile performance, while also considering more realistic scenarios and the challenges of regional variation.

Item 5: Productive & Agile State Update

5.1    Steve Buckingham and Rose Cowley presented the item. Rose explained the Cabinet Office's stocktake process, which benchmarks departments against foundational metrics such as headcount, digital workforce growth, and use of government procurement cards, with CPS singled out due to its workforce expansion.

5.2    Rose outlined the main actions arising from the stocktake:

• Demonstrating clear productivity gains from workforce investment.
• Benchmarking digital transformation against the private sector.
• Collaborating with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.
• Ensuring alignment with No10 and police on charging processes.

5.3    The Board discussed the government's expectation for 10% of the workforce to be in digital and data roles by 2030, noting CPS's aspiration of 6.5%.

5.4    The Board expressed concern over the government's request to attribute backlog reduction directly to CPS workforce investment, emphasising that the backlog is a system-wide issue influenced by external factors.

5.5    The Chair asked for the Board to be kept up to date on progress.

Item 6: Business Plan 2026/27

6.1    Steve Buckingham and Rose Cowley presented the item. Rose described the approach to the 2026-27 business plan, emphasising early Board engagement, alignment with CPS 2030, and the need to balance concise communication of priorities with comprehensive coverage of major change programs and enabling functions.

6.2    The Board reviewed the current and proposed KPIs, discussing the importance of selecting metrics that accurately reflect impact, are within CPS control, and are clearly communicated to both staff and the public.

6.3    Board members highlighted the importance of mapping dependencies for deliverables, testing deliverability with supporting teams, and incorporating risk assessments into the business plan.

6.4    The Chair queried the distinction between Tier 1/Tier 2 programmes which Rose clarified as a prioritisation mechanism. The Chair suggested that victim-related initiatives are appropriately prioritised/worded and that the rationale for tiering is transparent.

Item 7: Portfolio Six Monthly Report

7.1    Steve Buckingnham and Izzy Isgate presented the item. Izzy outlined the portfolio's alignment with CPS 2030, the results of the prioritisation exercise, and recent achievements such as the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan rollout, digital jury bundles pilot, and RASO casework quality improvements. The Portfolio Office has implemented a ring-fenced investment budget, filled key roles, launched SRO training, and begun regular reporting, with plans for an independent maturity assessment and the launch of a project delivery Centre of Excellence.

7.2    Board members requested future portfolio updates to include RAG ratings, analysis of project risks, progress against budget, and clearer articulation of benefits realisation and impact. Steve acknowledged the need for realistic self-assessment and transparency.

7.3    Steve described the process for business case approval, with the Portfolio Oversight Group (POG) as the main governance body. The Board offered potential assistance through selective involvement in high-value or high-profile business cases. The DPP welcomed this offer, sharing concern that the business case process could be lengthy and could cause unnecessary delays. The ExCo will consider how to involve the Board in project business cases without losing momentum.

7.4    Izzy and the Board recognized that the portfolio management approach is driving a broader culture change, with suggestions to seek organisational development support to embed new ways of working and ensure effective engagement with staff.

Item 8: People Survey Report

8.1    Helen Starkey joined to present key headlines from the People Survey. Helen reported a lower-than-desired survey response rate, and explored some of the reasons for that.

8.2    The Executive agreed to prioritise leading and managing change, workplace culture, and workloads/working practices for the coming year, aiming for rapid action and visible impact to rebuild staff confidence.

8.3    The Board discussed the importance of clarifying leadership versus HR responsibilities, encouraging direct leader engagement with staff on survey results, and adopting more targeted communication strategies to demonstrate responsiveness.

8.4    Helen detailed ongoing efforts to manage absence, including targeted interventions in high-absence areas, the establishment of a casework advisory team, and the expansion of proactive well-being initiatives, particularly for teams handling traumatic casework.

8.5    The Board noted the availability of Area-level data through the people dashboard, (enabling leaders to monitor engagement, absence, and other indicators) and discussed the challenges of differing local contexts and leadership strengths.

8.6    The Chair endorsed a strong set of results.

Item 9: Staff Well-Being

9.1    Helen Starkey provided the Board with an update highlighting two areas of focus: managing absence and existing health issues, along with a proactive, preventive approach to wellbeing. While acknowledging that there is still work ahead, she noted progress, particularly with the long-term absence project and efforts to address extended absences. The HR advisory team has been developed, and proactive wellbeing initiatives are ongoing. Consideration is being given to expanding proactive RASSO teams, ensuring their engagement with both wellbeing measures and support for traumatic cases.

9.2    The Board thanked Helen and noted the progress.

Item 10: ARAC Update

10.1    Peter provided a summary of the recent ARAC meeting, covering progress on external and internal audits, recruitment and retention risks, and plans for further analysis of Area variations and Inspectorate findings.

Item 11: Forward Look

11.1    The forward look was noted.

Item 12: AOB

12.1    The Chair queried planning for the CPS 40th Anniversary, the DPP confirmed that the Communications Directorate is developing plans, with the intention to involve the Board in reviewing and contributing ideas for the event, likely to be held in the autumn.

Secretariat – Stephanie Bradshaw & Rebecca Bridge, January 2026