CPS Board meeting minutes - March 2026

Tuesday 2 June 2026

Private Office Boardroom, Petty France/MS Teams  

Members:

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

Guests:

Tristan Bradshaw, Matthew Outterside, Vikki Whittaker, Alex Scott, Rose Cowley, Jessica Lewis, Samantha Magness, Sarah Lumsden, Baljit Ubhey, Mohammed Rafique, Steve O’Connor, Suzanne Llewellyn, Lisa Benbow, 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 The Chair reviewed outstanding actions from previous meetings, confirming the closure of November 04 and December 01.

Item 3: DGLD Update

3.1 The DGLD updated the Board on recent activities, including:

• Senior operational leader changes following the conclusion of CCP and DCCP recruitment campaigns. 
• The current position and stakeholder engagement on the Courts and Tribunals bill, the upcoming Sentencing Act, and other criminal justice reforms. 

Item 4: Finance Update

4.1 Steve Buckingham and Vikki Whittaker provided an update on finance at the end of period 10, noting and explaining the underspend. Steve also highlighted that the department was 10% over its income target and outlined the positive discussions with HMT on budget exchange and other matters.

4.2 The Board questioned the achievability of ambitious recruitment and growth targets. In response the use of contingent labour, prioritisation of recruitment areas, challenges on prosecution costs, and the distinction between recruitment and net organisational growth were highlighted.

4.3 Concerns were raised about optimism bias in forecasting, executive members confirmed the need of balance between caution and ambition, the complexity of forecasting across multiple teams nationally, and ongoing efforts to improve accuracy and realism.

4.4 The Board queried the financial structure nationally. Steve outlined roles of finance business partners and area finance managers, and the ongoing business centre review to enhance qualifications and functional alignment, and the challenges of ensuring accurate, localised financial oversight.

Item 5: Budget & Business Plan 2026/27

5.1 Steve Buckingham introduced this item and noted the efforts to prepare the Budget and Business Plan on time. Jessica Lewis then outlined key points from the budget including an additional £33.7 million due to transfers and new funding, noting most funding has gone to operational areas, cost of Paralegalisation pilots, revising efficiency assumptions, and approach to unallocated provision. Steve expanded on use of the unallocated provisions (and associated risks) and planned executive workshop on recruitment.

5.2 The Board discussed recruitment challenges and revisions of efficiency assumptions, and agreed to maintain ambitious headcount targets, with plans to stress-test and adjust targets as needed, and to prioritise frontline roles while using contingent labour for digital and data functions. The likely approach to SR27 was also noted.

5.3 Rose outlined the Business Plan, noting inclusion of year-on-year metrics, the development of a broader set of KPIs under CPS 2030, and the importance of providing context and narrative around operational targets to demonstrate impact and improvement. The COO noted that some of the targets are stretching and linked to statutory requirements.

5.4 The Board collectively endorsed the final budget and business plan, noting the need for ongoing transparency, refinement of efficiency presentations, and alignment of local and national planning, with plans to share the draft business plan for local implementation.

Item 6: Q3 Operational Performance

6.1 Tristan Bradshaw and Matthew Outterside reported that five business plan KPIs were at or above target, with others on track, but noted that DDaT, public confidence, victim letter timeliness, and charging within 28 days would not be met this year.

6.2 Tristan addressed the outstanding Inspectorate recommendations, detailing plans to meet with responsible owners to expedite progress, with some delays attributed to large-scale training and evaluation requirements.

6.3 The Board discussed improvements in victim letter performance, the decision to split the KPI into five-day and 24-hour targets, and the introduction of quality measures, with plans for independent evaluation and a follow-up report in the summer.

6.4 Lindsey raised the importance of transferring successful practices from regional pilots to other areas. The DGLD confirmed ongoing performance reviews and the deployment of the central prosecution team to address peaks in demand.

6.5 The Board emphasised the need to balance strong performance with staff well-being and cost considerations, acknowledging the challenges of increasing caseloads and the importance of monitoring the impact on personnel.

ACTION March 01: Report back to the board on the outcomes of the Victims Letters operating model review and pilot evaluation once the work has been completed and assessed.

Item 7 & 8: Serious Economic and Organised Crime Strategy & International Strategy

7.1 Baljit Ubhey, Emma Varley and Samantha Magness joined for both strategy items and outlined the approach to developing the strategies.

7.2 It was noted that both draft action plans have been shared, with actions mapped to the three pillars and categorised as short, medium, and long term, emphasising the need for clear ownership and ambitious yet feasible objectives. They have been designed to remain flexible in response to changes in government policy and spending reviews.

7.3 The Board questioned what distinguishes the new strategies from previous ones, prompting discussion on how the action plans are tailored to address unique challenges in international and economic crime contexts. Baljit explained the structural differences between national teams for economic crime and the SPOC network for international work, highlighting the need for effective knowledge sharing and capacity building.

7.4 The Board discussed the inclusion of digital initiatives in the strategies, noting the necessity for ambitious approaches and the practical limitations faced by CPS.

7.5 The Board raised questions about the dependence on stakeholder engagement, including police and other agencies, and the importance of aligning plans and securing buy-in for successful implementation. Lindsey suggested incorporating case studies to illustrate the strategies in action, with Sarah confirming that such examples will be included in the published strategy.

Item 9: Sustainability Report

9.1 Steve Buckingham and Mohammed Rafique presented the sustainability framework, policy, and governance structure, noting recent engagement with the Executive Group.

9.2 The Board highlighted the importance of making sustainability relevant and motivational for staff, including personal actions and visibility of progress.

9.3 Steve addressed working with the Government Property Agency, noting improvements in sustainability during renovations and practical examples like furniture reuse.

9.4 The Board noted the need to reflect CPS's impact on tackling environmental crime as part of this.

Item 10: AI Strategic Update

10.1 Steve O’Connor presented an update on AI, including ongoing projects, staff anxieties, guidance, risks, the need for improved communication and capability, detailing technical and operational blockers, and future plans.

10.2 Lindsey reported staff unease towards AI, particularly regarding usability, recruitment impacts, and the need for clearer guidance. Steve confirmed recent policy launches on AI use and plans for tailored Copilot rollouts.

10.3 Steve described the strong risk controls in place, and ongoing reviews of data protection and bias issues.

10.4 The Board identified the case management system as a major technical blocker for AI implementation, and the need for modernisation to enable effective use of AI.

10.5 Steve discussed plans to build internal AI capability, reduce reliance on external partners, and align with broader justice sector initiatives. Steve highlighted successful pilots, such as transcription for RASSO teams, and agreed to provide updates on AI pilots every six months.

ACTION March 02: DID to provide an update on AI pilots and progress in six months.

ACTION March 03: Demonstration of the transcription for RASSO teams for the NEBMs.

Item 11: RASSO Quarterly update

11.1 Suzanne Llewellyn reported improvements in reassessed Areas, with strong themes emerging around capability and the need for rapid response to staff feedback. Piloting transcription solutions to reduce video review time for prosecutors, is freeing up time for legal decision making and improving efficiency.

11.2 Suzanne explained the increase in RASSO including police use of the threshold test, is resulting in more immediate charging decisions and duplication of work for staff.

11.3 The Board discussed challenges with inexperienced staff, the need for rotation, staff wellbeing and the role of the central prosecution team.

11.4 Suzanne confirmed outlined strong governance structures, regular project meetings, and ongoing collaboration with police partners to improve processes and outcomes.

Item 12: CPS 40th Anniversary Plans

12.1 Lisa presented plans for the CPS 40th anniversary campaign, including three key phases, storytelling approaches, staff engagement, and a proposed stakeholder reception and lifetime achievement award.

12.2 Lindsey suggested a staff vote for the lifetime achievement award, which Lisa agreed to explore for greater inclusivity.

12.3 The Board commended the inclusive cost saving approach. They proposed involving victims in the event, with Lisa considering video content to share positive experiences.

Item 13: Forward Look

13.1 The Forward Look was noted.

Item 14: AOB

14.1 Steve updated the Board on the Civil Service pensions issue, describing the process for hardship loans, coordination with Cabinet Office, and ongoing communication efforts to support affected colleagues.

End of meeting