Transparency data

Board meeting minutes 19 March 2025 - The Planning Inspectorate

Updated 30 June 2025

Applies to England

Board meeting minutes 19th March 2025 - The Planning Inspectorate

Minutes                                              5th June 2025

Title of meeting

Planning Inspectorate Board Meetings

Date	19 March 2025

Venue

MHCLG, Marsham St, London

Chair

Trudi Elliott (TE), Non-Executive Director (NED)

Present**

*Planning Inspectorate Board Meeting

Emir Feisal (EF), Non-Executive Director (NED)

Adrian Penfold (AP), Non-Executive Director (NED) 

Baljit Dhillon (BD), Non-Executive Board Apprentice

Paul Morrison (PM), Chief Executive

Graham Stallwood (GS), Chief Operating Officer

Rachel Graham (RG), Chief Digital Information Officer

Hayley Kelly (HK), Chief People Officer

Rebecca Phillips (RP), Interim Chief Planning Inspector

Joanne Butcher (JB), Chief Finance Officer

Will Burgon (WB), Director of Planning, MHCLG

 
In attendance** | Planning Inspectorate Board Meeting

Full meeting

Head of Strategy and Change (SH) (sub for CSO)

PA to CDIO & CFO (JY), meeting support

Corporate Governance Officer (NP), minutes and actions

 
Attending for specific items

Senior Media and External Affairs Manager (GL) (item 5)

Observer

Internal Communications & Stakeholder Engagement (SN)

Apologies

Oliver Munn (OM), Non-Executive Director (NED)

Sean Canavan (SC), Chief Strategy Officer

Richard Schofield (RS), Chief Planning Inspector

1. 1.0 - Welcome and Declaration of Interests

1.1  The Chair called for Declarations of Interest, of which there were none.  The Board welcomed RP to the Board as Interim Chief Planning Inspector (CPI). 2.0 - Minutes of January Board meeting, corporate action tracker Minutes

2.1  No further comments were received for the part one and part two of the January Board minutes.

Agreed:

2a)  The January Board minutes parts one and two are an accurate record of the meeting.

Action(s):

2b)  NP & GL to organise stakeholder meetings, one online and one in Bristol. 

1.1 3.0 Chief Executive’s (CEO) update to the Board

3.1  PM received the delegation letter and budget confirmation from MHCLG.  This sets out the delivery expectations for the year ahead.

3.2  The Service Model is now in place and embedding into the organisation, focus is on expanding our workforce to meet delivery and implementing the Inspector learning and development programme.

3.3  EF asked for the Board to be kept sighted on recruitment progress, if we are on target to achieve recruitments and what we achieve.  HK explained Executive Team (ET) will monitor progress monthly from the beginning of April along with organisation readiness to onboard and train. 

3.4  Changes to the finance platform will be live from the 1st April.  Issues with access are anticipated, mitigations are in place to prioritise user needs, reporting features and functions tested and in place for the 1st April.

3.5  Conversations are taking place with MHCLG colleagues to work in partnership around recruitment, particularly in the Digital and Data space and the MHCLG Digital Planning programme where we could see movement across departments.

3.6  AP asked how diverse can we be when recruiting band three Inspectors, how to accelerate training and learning and development for people into the roles.  RP explained we are looking at the recruitment programme and approach to training to support people into roles.  We are also looking at secondment opportunities and internal promotions.  The Board recognised, whilst campaigns might be attractive to a broad range of people, it will impact on the sector.  WB agreed the offer needs to be made to the sector in a structured way.

3.7  BD suggested whilst reaching out to other sectors, we look at the sites people will visit to look for opportunities and recruiters reaching out to people.
Action(s):

3a)  HK to keep the Board sighted on recruitment progress.

3b)  HK to share links to job vacancies with NEDs for NEDs to champion and share with their professions/ networks.

3c)  BD to share recruitment information with RG.

3d)  PM & RP to discuss a Board deep dive with JA and the LGA with a focus on recruitment. 

1.2 4.0 Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) update to the Board

1.3 4.1   The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced to Parliament in March, particular relevance to the Inspectorate are the provisions aimed at streamlining the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime.  The Housing and Planning Minister announced a review of statutory consultee system. 

1.4 4.2  Draft of the secondary legislation to expand the householder appeal service to more written representation appeals is underway.  The regulations are expected to be laid in June.

1.5 4.3  The remainder of the update is recorded in the part two minutes.  

1.6 5.0 Stakeholder and customer engagement

5.1  The stakeholder survey closed on the 14th March, the number of respondents double compared to the last survey, providing more insight. 

5.2  The Business Plan engagement sessions for the organisation are almost complete.  The sessions have been well attended; an evaluation form will be circulated to gather feedback.

5.3  Future updates to the Board will focus on specific topics drawn from feedback on blogs, news items, media enquiries, Board stakeholder meetings and topics from customer feedback.  TE and WB asked GL to also include key messages for the NEDs/ Board in future papers.

5.4  AP agreed customer information should be high level about key complaints and how we are addressing and key responses or messages. 

5.5  TE suggested we take the opportunity to look at the interesting data held in the organisation and how we might make better use of this and share with stakeholders and customers.  EF agreed and suggested the use of maps and graphics.  The Board should be given the opportunity to bring experience or intel from other places to the Board.  Further deep dives maybe required moving forward.

5.6  RG suggested a central place for messages and information such as the learning hub to provide the Board with information, data and key messages.  PM agreed a central repository would be useful, RG also suggested use of the knowledge library.

Action(s):

5a)  GL to include key messages for the NEDs/ Board in future Board papers.

5b)  RG/ SN/ NP to discuss information repository options.

1.7 6.0 Balanced scorecard 

1.8 6.1  The organisation’s performance against the strategic plan mission remains amber. 

1.9 6.2  Following the Board’s review of the balanced scorecard, the Board will receive an updated scorecard in June which links to MiPINS as a live data feed. 

1.10 6.3  Year to date figures show we have received fewer appeals, applications and local plans compared to the central forecast.  The February data for NSIPs and Local Plans (LPs) is starting to show an uptick and growth in demand is starting to materialise.

1.11 6.4  Hearing and inquiry timeliness has improved and is meeting the flight path, written representations timeliness has improved.  Casework in hand has dipped to the lowest level in two and half years, this correlates with timeliness improvements.

1.12 6.5  The learning and development (L&D) workstream continues to report red.  Following the January Board, the project was reset and new timelines agreed.  The risks need to tie in with the recruitment drive.

1.13 6.6  EF asked if other professions or specialists could be brought in to support the L&D workstream.  RP explained review is underway to look at pathways to progress for Inspectors, aligning requirements to the Service Model and recruitment and creating flexible training opportunities for those Inspectors already in the organisation.  HK also explained the L&D Lead has been appointed in the People Unit and is working with Professional Leads on the best way to deliver training and outcomes.  PM agreed milestones need to be to demonstrate to the Board progress of this workstream, PM acknowledged the Board’s challenge to progress this key workstream.

1.14 6.7  TE raised concern about the pace and capacity to lead the L&D workstream at a time when there is high demand on Inspector resource and suggested we look at different ways to resource training, this workstream is critical to the strategic plan mission.

1.15 6.8  GS explained whilst the number of written representation cases appear to rising, the measure includes all casework types.  Planning written representation cases have reduce by 2000 and we are on track to manage the volume of cases in the system.

1.16 6.9  The Service Owner for Local Plans is setting a new target for the service.  From a digital and data perspective, RG explained conversations are taking place as part of discovery phase of the process to understand the points in the system and agree a new target with MHCLG.

Actions:

6a)  RP  to provide the Board with regular updates on the L&D workstream. 

6b)  GS to share the written representations narrative with the NEDs.

6c)  GS to provide AP with a demonstration of MiPINS.

6d)  GS/ PM to provide an update to the Board on the LP measure when information available.
### 7.0 Budget update – OFFICIAL SENSITIVE - Recorded in the part two minutes.

1.17 8.0 Board effectiveness review action plan, including endorsement of the Board and Committee terms of reference 

1.18 8.1  TE raised with MHCLG colleagues the regularly meeting for Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) Chairs are no longer taking place and this was a useful forum.  TE suggested a similar forum is created for Chairs as well as reinstating the ARAC forum.

1.19 8.2  Conversations are taking place with the department to launch the recruitment campaign for a new Board Chair.  Campaign expected to launch in June 2026.  This also includes a NED skills audit to identify the gaps when appointments come to term and staggering appointments to avoid NEDs departing at the same time.

1.20 8.3  EF suggested Board membership be reviewed, TE agreed and said we should encourage other colleagues to present to the Board on topics to give them exposure and receive NED input.  TE suggested attendance at online Board meetings for development opportunities and inclusivity.  PM suggested we also include Service Owners for specific topics. 

Agreed:

8a)  To defer review of the terms of reference for the Board and committees until the June Board meeting.

8b)  Chief Officers to judge if additional colleagues are required to support specific items, particularly in meetings are in person, all to attend in person.

8c)  Chief Officers to make sure papers are presented to ET on time and cleared for circulation to the Board within the deadline.

Action(s):

8d)  SH to lead review of Board and Committee terms of reference and bring to the June Board meeting as part of the effectiveness review action plan update.

1.21 8e)  AP and HK to discuss how Remuneration Committee captures the Government’s adoption of ethnicity pay gap.

1.22 9.0 AOB – none declared