Transparency data

Board meeting minutes 24 October 2019 - The Planning Inspectorate

Updated 17 April 2024

Applies to England

Minutes FINAL 21 November 2019

Title of meeting	Planning Inspectorate Board Meetings
Date	30 January 2020
Venue	Gromit, Temple Quay House, Bristol
Chair	Trudi Elliott (TE)

Present
Sally Dixon (SD)	Non-Executive Director (NED)
Stephen Tetlow (ST)	Non-Executive Director (NED)
Sarah Richards (SR)	Chief Executive
Navees Rahman (NR)	Director of Corporate Services

In attendance
Simone Wilding (SW)	Head of Operations (item 8)
Tim Guy (TG)	Director of Transformation (item 8)
Natasha Perrett (NP)	Board Secretary

Apologies
David Holt (DH)	Non-Executive Director (NED)
Simon Gallagher (SG)	Director of Planning, MHCLG (dial in)
Neil Hemington (NH)	Chief Planner, Welsh Government

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 25 January 2018

Action: 15. Circulate draft targets submission to Board members for comment.

Owner: Transferred to Graham Stallwood (previous owner Sarah Richards)

Para: 6.8

Timeframe: On hold pending SR19 submission

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 29 November 2018

Action: 2. Hold a session on risk matters with SLTs in quarter one next year.

Owner: David Holt & Navees Rahman

Para: 3.12

Timeframe: Closed at November Board meeting

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 31 January 2019

Action: 5. Recommendations 1 and 2 – Jo Esson (transferred to Karin Takel) to review with ET and agree timescale to review the Governance Structure. Considering the new Director roles and mapping across to the sub-committee and aligning with the ET structure and running order of meetings to suit business needs.

Owner: Karin Takel

Para: 8.1

Timeframe: Complete – item 7 on the November Board agenda.

Action: 7. Look at the induction process for the new NEDs and to make sure it is less staff intensive and to include Board engagement sessions with full establishment of ET and full establishment of NEDs. If necessary, plan in two phases to allow for appointments to be made.

Owner: Navees Rahman & Chris Thorby (was Jo Esson)

Para: 8.1

Timeframe: Phase 1 – complete; Phase 2 – in progress including MHCLG induction

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 21 March 2019

Action: 6. Produce a performance recovery communication for the NEDs to share with customers when necessary.

Owner: Transferred to Tracey Jones (previous owners Sean Canavan and Tim Guy)

Para: 5.7

Timeframe: Complete

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 23 May 2019

Action: 1. Follow up action 1 of the March minutes with CT. Consider and agree with Executive Team (ET) if political sensitivity issues should be included on the SRR.

Owner: Natasha Perrett

Para: 2.1

Timeframe: Awaiting update

Action: 2. Discuss with TT and Simon Levi (not KH) the impact on future recruitment and how we recruit for specific vacancies in Wales.

Owner: Navees Rahman

Para: 4.6

Timeframe: Complete – NR updated at November Board. TT feeds into Inspectorate wide recruitment.

Action: 3. Come back to the July Board:

• Consider how to deliver information and red flags to the Board
• Consider how the data should be used by the NEDs when discussing and making decisions about performance improvement.
• Demonstrate the table containing all casework targets and performance.
• Add inputs and outputs to give the Board visibility of the trend of the backlog
• Income needs to be in tabular format.
• People measure – to be incorporated from the People Strategy.
• Customer measures – to be incorporated.
• User friendly commentaries.
• Include a list of information and when the Board can expect it to be included.

Owner: Navees Rahman/Duane Oakes

Para: 5.2, 5.5, 5.7

Timeframe: In progress – NR updated at November Board. Dashboard being reconciled and reviewed at Executive Team before coming back to Board.

Action: 5. Discuss funding and underspends, not recruiting enough Inspectors and performance recovery at the July Board.

Owner: Navees Rahman (was Caroline Bee)

Para: 6.4

Timeframe: Complete - Item 5 on November Board agenda.

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 25 July 2019

Action: 9. Produce an information flow chart for applicants to be shared with the Board.

Owner: Pauleen Lane

Para: 5.2

Timeframe: Update 13/11/19 - TBC when ODT revised schedule available. Accessible language to be agreed with Comms.

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 26 September 2019

Action: 1. Update the narrative to our customers, making clear how long appeals are taking based on current data, including that there will also be focus to improve enforcement performance.

Owner: Graham Stallwood

Para: 3.4. 3.9, 3.10

Timeframe: Complete

Action: 2. Provide the Board with data on complex cases.

Owner: Graham Stallwood

Para: 3.6

Timeframe: Complete – item 4 on November Board agenda.

Action: 3. Provide an ODT update at the November Board meeting, including findings from Stephen Tetlow’s review.

Owner: Tim Guy

Para: 4.8, 4.9

Timeframe: Complete – item 6 on November Board agenda.

Action: 4. Provide ODT update in between Board meetings.

Owner: Tim Guy

Para: 4.9

Timeframe: October – Complete December, February

Action: 5. Develop a delivery plan for the Board which sets out how we will get to the 2024 vision.

Owner: Transferred to Chris Thorby (previous owner Rhian Jones)

Para: 6.4

Timeframe: January Board

Action: 6. Write a narrative for the customer that would be helpful to set out:

• what we will do and when
• devise as a document for customers to read so they understand what we seek to achieve, when and how.
• what the journey will look like from customer perspective, what will it look like for a customer each year.

Owner: Transferred to Chris Thorby (previous owner Rhian Jones)

Para: 6.5

Timeframe: January Board

Action: 7. Make sure GDPR principles are included in processes.

Owner: Transferred to Chris Thorby (previous owner Rhian Jones)

Para: 6.9

Timeframe: January Board

Action: 8. Review the Framework document to make sure changes to the committee structure are possible.

Owner: Karin Takel

Para: 7.6

Timeframe: Complete – Framework document states the Planning Inspectorate must have a Board and ARAC. Other supporting sub-committees to be set up as deemed necessary. Section 4.3 of Framework document.

Action: 9. Consider:

• is the formal structure set out, of the Board and ARAC enough in the longer term, have we got it right;
• going forward, do we need another Committee to support the Board and alongside Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, if agreed draft ToR and what would it be called, consider a more workshop style approach;
• have we captured the standing items from the People and Customer Quality and Professional Standards Committee;
• collaborative engagement with MHCLG colleagues through committees, how to maintain this;
• frequency and length of Board meetings and when needed;
• make time for NEDs and Board members to have engagement with teams, create a structure that helps that to happen.

Owner: Karin Takel

Para: 7.7

Timeframe: Complete – item 7 on November Board agenda.

Action: 10. Include at the Business Planning session in November how to take forward Committee items and reporting.

Owner: Karin Takel

Para: 7.7

Timeframe: Complete – item 7 on November Board agenda.

Part One: Schedule of Actions – 24 October 2019

Action: 1. Write to line managers to ensure staff travelling abroad during this time have six months of travel on passports.

Owner: Navees Rahman/Simon Levi

Para: 3.6

Timeframe: Awaiting update

Action: 2. Check CM plan and share with NEDs, ensuring any actions for NEDs are shared and agreed and that there is a clear mechanism for decisions to be made outside of Board.

Owner: Navees Rahman/Natasha Perrett

Para: 3.7

Timeframe: In progress

Action: 3. Share the number of Band 2 and Band 3 Inspectors needed for enforcement casework with the Board.

Owner: Simone Wilding

Para: 4.2

Timeframe: Complete – item 4 on November Board agenda

Action: 4. For the next performance update to the Board:

• unpack what capacity we have discovered for Band 2 and 3 recruitment and what that means for the outstanding enforcement casework
• how many offers have been accepted appointments
• progress on the adoption of Rosewell
• agreed, what is the prioritisation criteria
• when and where are we going to land on solving enforcement performance recovery, including the level of risk attached and variables.

Owner: Graham Stallwood/Simone Wilding

Para: 4.3

Timeframe: Complete – item 4 on November Board agenda

Action: 5. Update at the November Board:

• Confidence level that we are on track to deliver in February
• ODT assurance review and feedback at the Board.

Owner: Tim Guy/Stephen Tetlow

Para: 5.5

Timeframe: Complete - Item 6 on November Board agenda.

1.0 - Welcome and Declaration of Interests

1.1 The Chair welcomed the Board. Apologies were received DH, NH and SG.

1.2 The Chair called for Declarations of Interest, of which there were none.

2.0 - Minutes of September Board meeting

Actions

2.1 Customer Strategy – TE forwarded ST’s comments on the Customer Strategy to Rhian Jones and Chris Thorby. Good progress is being made on the customer work. NR confirmed the Change Programme Board (CPB) agreed to set up a project to deliver the Customer Record Management system. Project mandate will be presented to the next CPB.

2.2 Strategic Governance proposals – this item will be returning to the November Board with focus around delivery for next year and the longer term.

Minutes

2.3 No further comments were received on the September Board minutes.

Agreed:

2a) The September Board minutes are an accurate record of the meeting.

3.0 Brexit

3.1 Key areas identified by the Brexit Group are data, people, goods and services and operations. These key areas have been shared with Executive Team (ET) and SG. The Brexit Group has developed and monitored a project plan of activity and maintained a risk register. Any potential impact on operations will be linked to travel disruption around ports.

3.2 The top three risks and current status are:

• Data and access – this risk has been mitigated to green, we know where data is held and we know we can access this.
• Stakeholders – mitigated to yellow, we have written to all stakeholders and we are confident of no supply chain issues.
• Operations in event of no deal – still a red risk, the risk here is to transport around key ports and Inspectors not being able to attend events. Whilst we do not know the scale of the disruption, we do know we have 90 events in early November in key areas.

3.3 The Board agreed if there is a further extension, analysis and caseload monitoring should continue.

3.4 The Board discussed impact on the plans for Heathrow. As Government policy sets out that Heathrow is the preferred location for an additional runway, we are not expecting any change in policy that will affect this case.

3.5 In preparing for the unexpected, the Crisis Management Team (CMT) are meeting next Tuesday (30th October) as part of the mitigation strategy to ensure everyone is aware of their role. Following this meeting, CMT will meet fortnightly.

3.6 Advice is on intranet for Inspectors from an operational perspective and there is advice on travel disruption and health and safety. The Board discussed potential impact for those on holiday and ensuring they have six months travel on passports. NR agreed to speak to line managers to make sure those traveling during this time are aware of impact.

3.7 The Board discussed NED involvement with the CM plan, NR agreed to check the plan for NED actions, be clear about what each NED needs to do and contact points and share with NEDs. A clear mechanism is in place for decisions that may need to be made outside of Board meetings

Agreed:

3a) NR to write to line managers to ensure staff travelling abroad during this time have six months of travel on passports.

3b) NR and NP to check CM plan and share with NEDs, ensuring any actions for NEDs are shared and agreed and that there is a clear and understood mechanism for decisions to be made outside of Board meetings if required .

4.0 Performance update

4.1 The Board agreed the direction of improvement is promising. TE asked is there anything that could change the course. SW explained enforcement cases could impact. Good progress has been made to improve enforcement performance through the training of both Case Officers and Inspectors. The additional resource will help to address the enforcement cases in band 1 Inspector work.

4.2 The Board discussed band 2 and band 3 enforcement casework and how many Inspectors are needed to progress this work. SW agreed to circulate this figure with the Board.

4.3 For the next performance update to the Board, TE asked SW and GS to:

• unpack what capacity we have discovered for Band 2 and 3 recruitment and what that means for the outstanding enforcement casework.
• how many offers have been accepted appointments
• progress on the adoption of Rosewell
• if agreed, what is the prioritisation criteria and feedback from MHCLG
• when and where are we going to land on solving enforcement performance recovery, including the level of risk attached and variables.

Agreed:

4a) SW to share the number of Band 2 and Band 3 Inspectors needed for enforcement casework with the Board.

4b) SW and GS to update the November Board on:

• unpack what capacity we have discovered for Band 2 and 3 recruitment and what that means for the outstanding enforcement casework.
• how many offers have been accepted appointments
• progress on the adoption of Rosewell
• if agreed, what is the prioritisation criteria and feedback from MHCLG
• when and where are we going to land on solving enforcement performance recovery, including the level of risk attached and variables.

5.0 Review of Heathrow Risks, including ODT progress

5.1 The Board received an update on:

• technology progress ahead of the Heathrow project
• GDPR is considered and in hand
• Volume of interested parties can be accepted and published on the Website.

5.2 Design options have been reviewed, we will be linking the National Infrastructure website to Picaso (our new casework system).

5.3 The work will be finished by the end of February. The plan includes contingency measures, these include moving Heathrow casework to Horizon (current system), reallocation of resource from Operational Delivery Transformation to National Infrastructure and rephasing the delivery sequence to focus on being ready for examination.

5.4 We are working with Deloitte and have a dedicated Business Analyst and Go Pro team, we have a better understanding of requirements and needs.

5.5 TE asked TG to update at the November Board:

• Confidence level that we are on track to deliver in February
• ODT assurance review and feedback at the Board.

Agreed:

5a) TG to update at the November Board:

• Confidence level that we are on track
• ODT assurance review and feedback at the Board.

6.0 Forward agenda

Agreed: Meeting feedback to be sent to TE and NP.

Next meeting: 21 November 2019