HMCTS Board meeting summary 4 November 2021
Published 21 February 2022
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1. HMCTS members present
| Board member | Role |
|---|---|
| Tim Parker | Independent Chairman |
| Victoria Cochrane | Senior Independent Non-Executive Member |
| Lakh Jemmett | Non-Executive Member |
| Nicky Wilden | Non-Executive Member & Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair |
| Kevin Sadler | Acting Chief Executive |
| Andrew Baigent | Chief Financial Officer |
| Paul Harris | Operations Director |
| Gemma Hewison | Strategy and Change Director |
| Annabel Burns | Judicial & Legal Services Policy Directorate Director – MoJ Representative |
| Lord Justice Charles Haddon-Cave | Senior Presiding Judge (SPJ) |
| Lord Justice Keith Lindblom | Senior President of Tribunals (SPT) |
| District Judge Tim Jenkins | Judicial Board member |
1.1 Presenters and additional attendees
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Head of Modelling and Forecasting | |
| Craig Robb | Governance & Assurance Deputy Director |
| Louise Alexander | Human Resources Director |
| Lucy Taylor | Head of Diversity, Inclusion, Talent & Performance |
| Steve Chapman | Acting Service Owner - Common Capabilities |
| Marc James | Senior Service Manager |
| Clare Farren | Deputy Director, Judicial Private Offices |
| HMCTS Board Secretary | |
| Head of HMCTS Corporate Governance & Board Secretariat |
1.2 Apologies
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Jan Gower | Non-Executive HMCTS Change Portfolio Board member/Critical Friend |
2. Welcome and introductions
Attendees were welcomed to the meeting and the apologies were given.
3. Minutes and actions
The minutes from 7 October 2021 were approved and updates on actions were noted.
4. Performance and finance updates
There was a discussion around issues created by the return of custody time limits from eight to six months and the plans to address and mitigate these challenges.
The Board noted that the pay award had been received by staff in September and October, however, there were still a few issues around payments that were in the process of being resolved.
It was confirmed that some improvements had been seen in those areas where there had been issues with the delivery of prisoners to courts for hearings, however, further steps were necessary.
The Board was informed that the staff absence rate was still relatively low at around 4% and that COVID incidents in HMCTS were still tracking below the national average.
An overview of recovery within HMCTS was provided and there were substantive discussions in relation to the Crown Court, the Employment Tribunal and the Immigration & Asylum Chamber (IAC). The current performance in relation to Magistrates’ Courts, Civil, Family and Probate jurisdictions was noted.
The Board was informed that HMCTS was on track in terms of the required end of year financial position, however, it noted the potential risks that could affect this.
5. HMCTS Reform Programme
The Board discussed the update on the Common Platform and the range of activity being taken to improve performance and to address the recent issues that had arisen.
6. Quarterly service demand forecasting update
Consideration was given to the key conclusions from the latest demand forecasting across jurisdictions with particular reference to the uncertainty in relation to the Crown Court and IAC Tribunal.
7. HMCTS Spending Review 2021 Bid
The Board was provided with an overview of the 2021 Spending Review bid settlement, though it was noted that the HMCTS budget allocation would be subject to the concordat process.
8. HMCTS Corporate Business Plan 2021 to 2022
The Board noted the progress that had been made on Business Plan delivery and provided positive feedback.
9. Talent management and performance
There was a discussion of performance and talent management in HMCTS, with particular reference to: effective recruitment (including for key operational roles); identifying and supporting talented colleagues; and managing poor performance.
The Board welcomed the work that was taking place and looked forward to receiving updates as further progress was made.
10. Audit and risk assurance
An oral report was provided in relation the HMCTS Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) meeting on 2 November 2021.
The Board discussed the resilience of the organisation given the challenges of delivering Reform and COVID recovery and considered whether that should be better reflected in the HMCTS Corporate Risk Register.
Following the escalation from ARAC, the approach to the approval of this year’s Annual Report and Accounts and Trust Statements was considered by the Board.
11. Key metrics of the wider economic benefits of HMCTS Reform
It was highlighted that the wider economic benefits report had been developed as the framework to demonstrate the benefits of the reform programme outside of HMCTS.
Board members praised the report as high-quality work and provided its feedback on potential changes for future iterations.
12. Demonstration of the work allocations solution for the Civil Court, Family Court and tribunals
The team demonstrated the work allocations solution for the Civil Court, Family Court and tribunals for the judiciary and noted how this would work for administrative staff and case workers.
The Board thanked the team for the progress that had been made, noting the benefits of optimising the processes for the allocation and undertaking of work tasks.