Members

Caroline Corby (C), Stephen Parkinson, Julie Lennard, Steve Buckingham, Dr Subo Shanmuganathan, Dr Peter Kane

Guests

Matthew Outterside, Michael Hoare, Rose Cowley, Alex Scott

Secretariat

Max Looker, Stephanie Bradshaw

Apologies

Grace Ononiwu

Item 1: Introductions and declaration of interests

1.1    The Chair thanked Board members for the welcome she had received from the CPS.

Apologies were noted from Grace Ononiwu.

1.2    No additional interests were raised.

Item 2: Minutes of the last meeting and matters arising

2.1    Minutes from the July meeting were agreed.

2.2    The Board noted the delay to the Sept 08 action, for the Estates Strategy to return to the Board for consideration once the outcome of the Spending Review was understood. It was noted that work was ongoing to reframe the strategy to ensure it also took into account the closure of the Petty France office. It was agreed to return to the Board in January.

Item 3: COO Update

3.1    Julie Lennard provided an update on the following key issues:

• Impact of Casey Review
• SR commitments
• HMCPSI's comparative assessment of case management in Yorkshire & Humberside and Wales
• Productive & Agile State Stocktake; the Cabinet Office’s follow up on commitments from the Spending Review.

3.2    The Board welcomed the update, and the additional scrutiny expected following the favourable Spending Review outcome.

3.3    The Board requested a discussion on the outcome of the HMCPSI case management reports, once the final report had been finalised.

3.4    The Board also requested an update following the outcome of the PAS stocktake.

Item 4: Q1 Operational Performance Report

4.1    Matthew Outterside and Michael Hoare joined the meeting and provided the following key points on the Q1 operational performance report:

• Changes to the KPIs had been implemented for 2025/26
• Overall, there were four Operational Performance metrics with a RAG rating of red
• Pre-Charge demand had reduced but the volume of charges continued to increase
• Charge rate was at the highest for ten years
• Custody Time Limits (CTLs) continue to be a concern with sixteen occurrences during Q1
• Victim attrition is increasing, particularly with Domestic Abuse cases
• Rape volumes were also increasing although the conviction rate remained stable.

4.2    The Board welcomed the update but challenged the pace of change. The DPP confirmed that he wanted more improvement across the board, but he was pleased that there had been early signs of improvement in the number of guilty pleas at first hearing.

4.3    It was also noted that there had been a focus on dealing with the volume of work and that was now including quality, in an attempt to tackle attrition and acquittals. This was included in the CPS Business Plan to drive improvement and reverse the existing trends.

4.4    The Board queried the increase in CTLs, and they were provided assurance that this was a focus of the legal assurance process.  It was also noted that there had been a significant level of change in the Area Business Manager (ABM) cadre which would have had an impact and there was a wider review of the Area Performance Review (APR) process to drive the required improvements.

4.5    The Board also highlighted the Shadow Board’s reflections on the impact of caseloads of staff morale. The DPP confirmed that work had been undertaken to better communicate the priorities of the executive, to reduce workloads and to create efficiencies and that the People Survey would offer a good test on the impact of the improved approach.

4.6    The Board suggested a deep dive on productivity and Area Variation for a future meeting, to provide additional detail on the performance issues and potential mitigating actions.

Item 5: Q1 Business Plan Report

5.1    Alex Scott and Rose Cowley joined the meeting and provided the following key points.

• Six out of ten deliverables were on target
• Four deliverables have already been completed and two, Strategic Workforce Plan and Rape Scrutiny Report, will miss their targets
• From 2024/25, there were sixteen deliverables rolled over to 2025/26 and eight have been completed.  One remained on track, five were off track and the remaining two had been subsumed into 2025/26 deliverables.

5.2    The Board welcomed the update but queried whether lessons had been learned from previous years. It was confirmed that there had been a focus on reducing the level of commitments and there was more scrutiny to drive performance.

5.2    The Board also challenged whether the 2024/25 deliverables would impact the 2025/26 work. It was noted that there was more work undertaken to improve accountability, with the COO confirming that naming responsible staff and including dates ensures there is a greater chance for deliverables to be achieved in the future. The Board welcomed the approach to greater accountability within the Business Plan as there needed to be a focus on maintaining credibility and reputation across the Criminal Justice System and with the public.

5.3    The Board also queried whether the delivery of the Rape Scrutiny Report was delayed due to the recent HMCPSI report on RASSO. It was agreed that this would be confirmed out of committee.

5.4    Regarding disproportionality, it was noted that stakeholders were being informed of progress of the action plan.

Item 6: CPS 2030

6.1    Alex and Rose provided the Board with the revised version of the CPS 2030 Strategy.  It was noted that the strategy had been updated to reflect a more flexible approach and to clarify the CPS’ role with partners on data exchange.

6.2    The Board noted the revisions and the intention to work with the Comms team to launch the Strategy and provide support to senior leaders in local engagement.

6.3    The Board endorsed the CPS 2030 Strategy and noted the next steps with Law Officer’s prior to publication.

Item 7: AOB

7.1    There was no further business raised.

Meeting closed.

Secretariat – Max Looker & Stephanie Bradshaw

September 2025