Transparency data

Minutes: 7 January 2026

Published 5 June 2026

Forestry Commission executive board 134th meeting minutes, Wednesday 7 January 2026, 09:30–12:30 in person at Bristol and via MS Teams.

1. Welcome, updates and introductions

The Chair opened the meeting and welcomed the representative from KPMG. KPMG has been appointed to undertake the Forestry Commission board effectiveness review. No apologies for absence were received.

The board noted that Josephine Lavelle has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours 2026. It was also noted that the Forestry Commission has been allocated 5 Royal Garden Party tickets this year. Work is underway to select nominations/recipients for the tickets.

The Chair provided an update from the ministerial mobile device management, including reference to the ongoing backlog of Reference Committee cases. There are currently 39 cases awaiting committee consideration, and the rate of appeals is increasing. With existing resources and prioritisation, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Forest Services are able to progress approximately 23 cases per year. Minister Creagh has agreed to write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to reinforce the importance of the planning process in decisions relating to tree removal.

There was also a discussion with the minister regarding fast‑growing species and concerns about the reliability of DNA testing results. A second round of testing is being undertaken by the Food and Environment Research Agency, with expert advice from Kew. Tree‑planting rates remain broadly on target.

The board received a brief update on the appointment of the incoming Forestry Commission Chair. A formal announcement is expected in mid to late January, and induction activities are already in progress.

2. Minutes of the executive board, 8 December 2025 and matters arising

The minutes for the previous meeting of the Forestry Commission executive board were agreed as a true and accurate record.

Action 9 from September remains ongoing. Julia Lovell will follow up on Action 1 from December. All other actions have been discharged.

3. Forestry Commission Awards

The board approved the recommendations set out in the paper, including the proposal for the budget to be funded centrally. The board agreed that the Forestry Commission Awards should be held in Q3, ensuring a sufficient interval between the awards event and the October Leadership Conference. Forestry England confirmed that they were content to support the project team in identifying a location for the event.

The board discussed and broadly supported the proposed award categories, noting the importance of ensuring that all categories are accessible to staff at all grades. The board also requested that, in future years, the project team seek feedback from non‑participants to help ensure the event remains accessible and relevant to all staff. In addition, the board asked that a robust process be established for managing repeat year‑on‑year nominations.

4. Non-consolidated bonus awards

The board welcomed the proposal to introduce a recognition award through the existing STaR platform, aimed at supporting staff morale and mitigating a key organisational risk. It was noted that the proposal has already received approval from Defra and HM Treasury.

The board endorsed the proposal, providing a steer on the recommended award range and the option for phased implementation. This endorsement was subject to retaining the Wonderwall feature. The board agreed to setting up the system in January and February, with formal launch between April and June 2026, subject to prioritisation of this work in relation to other workstreams and ongoing engagement with the trade unions.

The board emphasised the need for clear communication to distinguish the proposed bonus award from performance‑related pay. Monitoring would be essential, particularly around inclusivity and fair governance.

The board also agreed the recommended policy reforms set out in the paper, including the proposal to stop year‑end meals provision, and retirement gifts – using the voucher scheme where relevant for reward.

Training and induction will be required for all staff, with manager training focused on ensuring consistent and fair approval decisions. Governance options were discussed, with a consensus emerging around pay band 2 oversight initially with view to move to pay band 3 sign off once the processes are fully bedded in.

Lisa Brooks agreed to act as executive sponsor for the project following Derrick Osgood’s departure.

5. People board

Projects update

The board noted that the pay and reward projects remain ongoing, with no material change since the previous update. The policy review project is also progressing, with approximately 50 policies completed for the prioritisation review. The HR team is currently prioritising policies for review/updating with the inaugural steering group meeting in early 2026. The pay band 7 review has been confirmed as underway, with active engagement now taking place with key stakeholders. Updates on this work will be provided to the board post the Forestry England executive team discussion.

The board noted that the target date for signing the recognition agreement with the trade unions remains the end of this quarter. A further people board meeting is scheduled for February, with a more substantive update expected at the executive board in March.

Operational contracts negotiation

The board noted that the project timeline has been extended to April 2027 to allow sufficient time to assess the impact of proposed changes to operational contracts. A pilot study is planned and will take two forms:

1. Ceasing recruitment into most new operational vacancies.
2. A simulation of the intended end state in a Forestry England district and Forest Services area.

Delivery of the pilot is dependent on the timely signing of the recognition agreement, and the baseline operational survey forms part of that.

The board noted the clarification that the pilot itself is at risk of delay, rather than the wider operational contract changes which the board agreed should not be delayed beyond April 2027. Learning from the pilot is intended to inform these developments. Trade unions have confirmed that finalising the recognition agreement remains a top priority.

Trade union rationalisation

The board agreed to seek to reduce the number of trade unions recognised in the recognition agreement from 5 to 3.

The board requested clearer sequencing across the programme portfolio, including a high-level Gantt chart for people related programmes, to support better visibility of overall priorities, interdependencies and schedule.

Pension service provider and more

The Board noted that MyCSP had accumulated a significant backlog of cases affecting retirees and staff approaching retirement. This responsibility has now transferred to the new provider, Capita, and the transition has resulted in a serious deterioration in service levels. The board expressed concern that there is currently no escalation route for urgent or high impact cases, including situations where staff have already retired but have not received their pension lump sums or benefits for a considerable period. The issue also has significant implications for staff nearing retirement, particularly in relation to their financial planning and decision making.

The board endorsed the proposal to collate data on the number of affected staff and to write to Defra senior leadership. This correspondence should set out both the scale of the issue and the limits of the Forestry Commission’s duty of care as an employer in these circumstances.

Actions

1. Head of HR to develop a principal plan covering timing and sequencing of people board programmes.
2. Head of HR to look into doing this as part of the developments to the recognition agreement.
3. Head of HR to work with Forestry Commission’s Reward and Pensions Manager and Forest Research’s Head of HR to specify the number of people who have retired and await pension benefits via Capita and the volumes of those who are known to be approaching retirement. The aim is for Richard Stanford to write to Defra senior leadership and copy in the Permanent Secretary on this issue.

6. Finance and Enterprise Resource Planning update

The board noted the risks identified in relation to resource departmental expenditure limit and capital departmental expenditure limit underspends. The additional £7 million of Defra funding requests were noted, in addition to the £11 million previously received for Forestry England in-year. Efficiency targets were confirmed as profiled as £1 million, £3 million and £5 million over 3 years, with the first‑year baseline of £1 million now agreed to be managed by Forest Services. Business planning activity is ongoing, with a focus on embedding efficiency plans and clarifying change‑control processes for funded headcount.

The board also received an update on the Synergy programme, a multi‑departmental initiative led by the Department for Work and Pensions and involving Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Defra. Defra’s implementation is currently scheduled for February 2028, although this date is expected to slip. The Forestry Commission is anticipated to come on stream in July 2028.

Action

The board asked for clarification on contract decision points and extension limits for key systems, such as iTrent, and requested exploration of flexibility and extension options given the likelihood of delays to the Synergy timeline.

Amanda Grist confirmed during the meeting that the iTrent contract term expires on 13 May 2028 and can be extended by mutual agreement, with a maximum extension period of 2 years.

7. Planning for corporate plan

The board received an update on the preparations for the corporate plan. There is a commitment to continuous improvement involving several initiatives which were discussed. The Q3 update will be issued via correspondence as the meeting date is out of sync with the reporting cycle.

The project team have been briefed on planned improvement initiatives and the timeline for delivery of the next corporate plan. Quarterly performance reporting of both key and enabling activities will continue.

8. Review of mandatory training

The board reviewed the current list and cadence of mandatory training agreed in December 2023. It was noted that both the internal audit and subsequently the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) had challenged the adequacy and frequency of the training, particularly in the context of operational risk within the Forestry Commission. The Chair of the ARAC requested that the board consider this challenge and agree next steps.

The board recognised that not all mandatory training modules are appropriate for all roles at the frequencies currently specified. It was noted that, in total, staff are expected to complete approximately 1.5 days of mandatory training per year.

The board endorsed the second option presented in the paper – adopting a risk‑based approach to determining training refresh intervals. The board also supported exploring the introduction of an annual refresher, which could remove the need for certain modules to be completed annually. The board requested that further consideration be given to how mandatory training expectations should apply to staff on fixed‑term appointments.

Action

HR to advise on mandatory training expectations for short-tenure staff.

9. Updates

Forestry Commission strategic risk register

The board approved the suggested changes to the risk register and will consider the addition of the information management/data risks.

Health and safety incidents and work programmes

The executive board were provided with an update on the health and safety incident numbers since September 2025. The board noted the apparent increase in the number of incidents and requested that future updates include a chart to see the figures in context for an apparent trend. Otherwise the figures are consistent with seasonal trends and the board were assured that corrective actions are being implemented.

The board was also provided with an update on the work programmes.

It was noted that Forest Research are not currently able to provide robust figures for mandatory training. As the full set of training is migrated onto the health and safety and technical training system this will improve.

10. Any other business

Head of HR shared the anti-semitism training requirement.

There was no other business and the meeting ended.