HMCTS Board meeting summary - 3 December 2020
Published 31 March 2021
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1. Present HMCTS Members
| Board Member | Role |
|---|---|
| Tim Parker | Independent Chairman |
| Victoria Cochrane | Senior Independent Non-Executive Member |
| Lakh Jemmett | Non-Executive Member |
| Nicky Wilden | Non-Executive Member and Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair |
| Kevin Sadler | Acting Chief Executive |
| Andrew Baigent | Chief Finance Officer |
| Gemma Hewison | Strategy and Change Director |
| Paul Harris | Acting Operations Director |
| Annabel Burns | Director, Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate – MoJ Representative |
| Lord Justice Keith Lindblom | Senior President of Tribunals (SPT) |
| Lady Justice Kate Thirlwall | Senior Presiding Judge (SPJ) |
1.1 Presenters and additional attendees
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Jan Gower | Non-Executive Change Portfolio Board member/Critical Friend |
| Rose Pennells | Head of Business Strategy |
| Head of Strategy Unit | |
| Catherine Blair | Deputy Director, Strategic Finance |
| Craig Robb | Deputy Director, Governance & Assurance |
| Head of Counter Fraud and Corporate Reporting | |
| Clare Farren | Deputy Director, Judicial Private Offices |
| HMCTS Board Secretary | |
| Head of HMCTS Corporate Governance and Board Secretariat |
1.2 Apologies
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| District Judge Tim Jenkins | Judicial Board member |
2. Welcome and Introductions
Tim Parker welcomed attendees to the meeting and gave the apologies.
3. Minutes and actions
The minutes from 5 November 2020 were approved and updates on actions were noted.
4. Operational and cornavirus (COVID-19) Recovery Performance
It was highlighted that overall performance was progressing in line with expectations. The Board recognised the positive performance in magistrates’ courts, where the disposal of cases was continuing to outstrip receipts.
The Board was informed that there was confidence that the target of having 290 rooms enabled to hear jury trials by the end of the year would be achieved.
There was a discussion around the ongoing activities seeking to address the increases in outstanding work in the Crown Court and also the number of vacated trials. Whilst it was noted that only a small proportion of the vacated trials were due to court reasons, it was agreed that this matter should be discussed in more detail the next time performance was considered by the Board.
The Board was pleased to note that the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) incidents reported among court and tribunal users had been reducing and that staff absence had not exceeded 4.5% during the second wave of Covid infections. There was a discussion around the timelines and planning in relation to returning to more normality following the pandemic.
It was highlighted that the recently released People Survey results had shown some encouraging improvements despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. It was particularly positive that improved scores had been achieved in relation to the leadership and management change, and organisational objectives sections.
5. 2020 Spending Review & Programme Business Case 6 (PBC6)
The Board was informed that the recent Spending Review settlement had provided MoJ with their overall funding envelope, which would enable the HMCTS allocation process to commence.
Additional investment had been secured in relation to: the Criminal Justice System; the Family and Employment Tribunal jurisdictions; and HMCTS building maintenance. It was also noted that some additional digital funding had been allocated to MoJ. Consideration would need to be given to what this might mean for HMCTS in relation to work required concerning its legacy IT systems.
In relation to the allocation process, the biggest concern was around for how to fund inflationary pressures. There was a discussion around the likely proposals around Crown Court sitting days and different approaches that could be taken in relation to improving Crown Court performance.
The Board was informed that HMT had provided feedback in relation to the latest iteration of the Reform Business Case. In the context of a potentially lower funding envelope than HMCTS’s preferred option, HMCTS was working to clearly show implementation costs and benefits to demonstrate Her Majesty’s Treasury’s net funding position. It was confirmed that the formal governance for the business case would begin in the new year.
6. HMCTS Board Strategy Awayday
HMCTS Board members met for a strategy away day focussed on priorities and performance in HMCTS. The intention was to build upon previous Board discussions on performance management and the right strategic performance standards for HMCTS, and how to measure them.
Throughout the day the Board reflected on the value of clearer prioritisation, and on using milestones and well-designed performance measures to provide a better organisational understanding of performance and progress.
The Board agreed the overall approach to a performance management hierarchy and that the proposed strategic objectives (when fully defined and quantified) should provide a broad and balanced picture of organisational performance. Also, the specific priorities for the next 1 to 2 years, which would be reflected in the organisation’s business plan, were agreed.