Agenda: Forest Services board meeting 29 October 2025
Published 17 April 2026
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Forest Services (FS) board 32nd meeting, Wednesday 29 October 2025, 10:00–12:25 via MS Teams.
Purpose
To review key management and financial information and risks, including business plan activities, and an update on current Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) issues. Discussions to focus on the spending review, the next steps in the review of the FS strategy and values, carbon budget and growth delivery plan.
Agenda
Invitees: Sir William Worsley, Hilary Allison, Emma El-Deen (for Edward Barker), Anna Brown, John Lockhart, Ross Murray, Derrick Osgood, Jennie Price and Richard Stanford.
Presenters: Rose Abbott (item 3.5), Jane Coles (item 4.1), Mark Broadmeadow (item 4.3)
Observer: Lauren Brookes
Apologies: Hilary Allison, Edward Barker, Lucy Wyatt
Minutes: Gemma Thomas
1. Welcome and Chair’s Update – Sir William Worsley
10:00 (10 mins)
Chair welcomes members to this 32nd meeting of the board, and updates the board on activities across the Forestry Commission and the sector.
2. Minutes of the last meeting and declarations of interest – Sir William Worsley
10:10 (10 mins)
Agree minutes, update any recent declarations of interest and discuss matters arising.
2.1 (Paper) Minutes of the last meeting (29 July 2025)
2.2 FS Board Register of Interest
3. Key management and financial information
3.1 Directors’ Update – Anna Brown
10:20 (10 mins)
Consider key issues arising from the Directors’ Update.
3.1 (Paper) Directors’ Update
3.2 Risk Register and Dashboard – Anna Brown
10:30 (10 mins)
Consider key issues arising from the Risks, Issues and Opportunities Register, and from the dashboards, noting the focus for this meeting on the ‘Support the Green Economy’ agenda.
3.2A (Paper) FS Risks and Issues Dashboard
3.2B Risks, Issues and Opportunities Register
3.2C Dashboards
3.3 Defra Update – Richard Chapman (for Edward Barker)
14:40 (10 mins)
An update from Defra.
3.3 (Paper) An update from Defra
3.4 Finance Report – Derrick Osgood
10:50 (15 mins)
A deep dive into FS finances.
3.4 (Paper) Board Finance Report
3.5 Q2 Update on FS Business Plan 2025/26 – Rose Abbott
15:10 (10 mins)
A update on the FS business plan for 2025/26.
3.5 (Paper) FS Business Plan Update July 2025
3.5 Annex 1 – Business Plan Activity Dashboard
3.5 Annex 2 – Q2 Report
4. Items for discussion
4.1 Spending Review Update – Richard Stanford
11:15 (15 mins)
A verbal update on the forthcoming spending review.
Comfort break
11:30 (10 mins)
4.2 Strategy and Values Update – Jane Coles
11:40 (20 mins)
An update on the proposed revisions to the FS strategy and values.
4.2 (Paper) FS Strategy and Values 2025
4.3 Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan – Mark Broadmeadow
12:00 (20 mins)
A verbal update on the carbon budget and growth delivery plan.
5. Any other business – Sir William Worsley
12:20 (5 mins)
12:25 Close
Anna Brown – Director, Forest Services 22 October 2025.