Minutes of the joint meeting of the Strategic and Leadership Boards: 18 March 2026

Minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2026.

Board members present:

Alison Saunders, Non-Executive Director (Chair)

David Watt, Non-Executive Director

John Burns, Non-Executive Director

Chris Andrew, Non-Executive Director

Jennifer Connelly, Non-Executive Director

Dia Banerji, Non-Executive Director

Yvette Greener, Chief Operating Officer

John Logue, Crown Agent and Chief Executive

Lindsey Miller, Deputy Crown Agent and Legal Director, Local Court

Stephen McGowan, Legal Director Litigation

Katrina Parkes, Legal Director National Casework

Marlene Anderson, Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates

Lindsey McIntosh, Director of Performance and Service Improvement

Jenny Stewart, Director of Transformation and Change

Jonathan Shebioba, Head of Business Management, Local Court

Rachel Weir, Head of Policy

Rahul Singh, Chief of Staff

Laura Buchan, Legal Director Deaths Investigations

Sarah Carter, Director of Human Resources

Thomas Lindie, Head of Business Management, National Casework

Frances Ross, Head of Corporate Governance

Jim Brisbane, Director of Strategy

Secretariat: 

Matthew Beattie, Corporate Governance Manager 

Christopher Hastings, Corporate Governance and Briefing Coordinator

Apologies:

Gavin Anderson, Head of Business Management, Deaths Investigations

Keith Dargie, Chief Digital Officer

The Chair welcomed attendees to the joint meeting of the Strategic and Leadership Boards, including the newly appointed Non-Executive Directors attending their first board meeting. Apologies were noted.

The Crown Agent and Chief Executive provided an update on organisational performance, resourcing and organisational pressures, and invited questions from the Board.

The Board discussed progress in reducing pandemic-related deaths work and older deaths cases, while noting that further work is required to reduce the remaining volume of long-running cases.

The Board noted continuing pressure across solemn and high court workloads, including periods where casework sits unallocated, and the extent to which delivery is dependent on other justice partners.

The Board noted the significant progress that has been made in changing the profile and reducing the outstanding workload in Sheriff court business as a result of reform work. The Board acknowledged that full benefits of this transformation have yet to be fully realised and the focus for the coming year needs to be on establishing consistency and maximising the benefits.

The Board discussed culture and engagement, including perceptions of a disconnect between central leadership and operational teams, and the need to demonstrate the benefits of recent organisational restructure and growth to staff.

The Board discussed management information and the need to improve the use and adoption of available data and tools. The Board requested clearer trend information, where possible, to support scrutiny over time.

The Head of Corporate Governance introduced Paper SBLB0326 (3.1) (Performance Report - March 2026), which provides an overview of operational performance for February 2026 and the 2025-26 business plan delivery. The Board was invited to note organisational performance and the final assessment of delivery against the 2025‑26 Business Plan and provide feedback.

The Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates summarised the financial position, including a forecast cash underspend at the end of February. The Director noted that staffing underspends, while financially beneficial, are creating operational pressures.

The Board discussed the need for performance reporting to present a clear and credible picture of where progress is not being made, and to support focus on the changes most likely to improve outcomes.

The Board discussed employee engagement and the value of regular insight on culture and engagement alongside the performance report, including the use of existing survey mechanisms and targeted thematic surveys where appropriate.

The Board discussed absence management and the lack of progress in reducing absence rates during the year and sought assurance on what further action is planned.

The Board discussed casework backlogs, including pressures in Local Court linked to increases in police reporting volumes and issues with reporting quality. The Board noted the need to continue engagement with justice partners and to maintain a risk-based approach to prioritisation.

The Director of Strategy introduced Paper SBLB0326 (4.1) (Strategic Plan 2030), which sets out COPFS’s strategic direction to 2030. The Board was invited to approve the plan and provide any feedback ahead of final design and communications.

The Board discussed the importance of ensuring the plan is actively used and understood by staff, supported by clear communications and meaningful engagement across the organisation.

The Board discussed the need to align Business Plans with the Strategic Plan and to ensure supporting strategies, including the Digital Strategy, demonstrate how they contribute to delivery of the strategic outcomes.

Decision: The Board approved the Strategic Plan 2030, noting that it will be subject to amendments as a result of the stakeholder write-round and as part of the final design and communications activity.

Action: Share the communications strategy for the Strategic Plan 2030 with the Strategic Board once available.

Owner: Chief of Staff

The Director of Performance and Service Improvement introduced Paper SBLB0326 (5.1) (Risk Management in COPFS), which set out the proposed Risk Management Strategy and approach to developing functional risk registers. The Board was invited to consider the strategy and provide feedback.

The Board discussed the importance of ensuring the Risk Management Strategy reflects the nature of COPFS’s work as Scotland’s public prosecution service and its role within the wider criminal justice system, including the Crown Agent’s responsibilities as Accountable Officer.

The Board discussed alignment with the Strategic Plan and the need for the strategy to make clearer reference to the justice context in which COPFS operates, including relevant public finance and governance frameworks.

The Board discussed how the Risk Management Strategy should actively support and inform day‑to‑day decision making, rather than operate solely as a reporting framework. The Leadership Board agreed to take forward further work to clarify how risk considerations will be embedded into routine leadership discussions and decision making.

The Board discussed implementation, including the need for a pragmatic rollout, appropriate training and support to improve risk maturity, and the role of governance forums in providing oversight as the framework is refined.

Action (Leadership Board): The Director of Performance and Service Improvement to update the Risk Management Strategy to reflect the feedback from the meeting, including clearer reference to the justice context and the role of risk in day‑to‑day decision making, and to bring the revised strategy back to the Leadership Board for further consideration.

Owner: Director of Performance and Service Improvement

The Chief Operating Officer introduced Paper SCLB0326 (6.1) (Digital Strategy) on behalf of the Chief Digital Officer, who was unable to attend, noting that this is a further iteration following feedback from previous board discussions and remains in development. The Board was invited to provide feedback to inform the next iteration.

The Board discussed the need for the strategy to be clearer on the first steps and intended benefits, including how progress and benefits will be measured.

The Board discussed the importance of articulating the starting point, including dependencies on data, retention and legacy systems, and ensuring deliverability with available resources.

The Board discussed the need to align the Digital Strategy with the Strategic Plan and to clarify how collaboration with justice partners will be implemented in practice.

Action (Leadership Board): Feedback from the meeting to be provided to the Chief Digital Officer to assist in making the next iteration of the Digital Strategy.

Owner: Chief Operating Officer

The Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates introduced Paper SBLB0326 (7.1) (Financial Planning 2026-27), outlining the budget position for 2026-27 and indicative allocations for subsequent years. The Board was invited to note the position and approve the budget allocations for 2026-27 and discuss key pressures and risks.

The Board discussed the assumptions underpinning the multi-year position, including future-year funding gaps and the approach to managing risk and maintaining efficiency.

The Board discussed capital requirements and the relationship between financial plans and delivery ambitions, noting the need for clear communications to staff on the financial trajectory.

Decision: Budget allocations for 2026-27 approved.

Action: A paper on the approach to managing budget reductions for 2027‑28 to be brought to the Strategic Board at the September 2026 meeting.

Owner: Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates.

The Head of Corporate Governance introduced Paper SBLB0326 (8.1) (Business Plans 2026-27). The Business Plans were presented in draft to seek feedback, with a focus on strengthening the performance framework. The Board was invited to provide feedback ahead of finalisation.

The Board discussed the need for the Business Plans to align clearly with the Strategic Plan and to distinguish business as usual activity from change and improvement activity.

The Board discussed performance measures, including the rationale for proposed targets and the need for more outcome-focused measures. The Board noted that some existing measures provide limited insight and should be reviewed for continued use.

The Director of Performance and Service Improvement advised that the development and implementation of a revised performance framework would likely require a minimum of six months. The Chair expressed concern regarding the length of this timeframe and indicated that the proposed timeframe was unlikely to be acceptable.

The Board discussed process mapping and the importance of completing core process maps to support meaningful service improvement and the development of robust performance measures.

The Board discussed the balance between public-facing measures and internal measures, noting the importance of transparent reporting while recognising that some measures will continue to develop during 2026-27.

Action (Leadership Board): Update the Business Plans to reflect the feedback from the meeting.

Owner: Head of Corporate Governance.

The Director of Human Resources introduced Paper SBLB0326 (9.1) (Civil Service Pension Administration - Transitional Support). The Board noted the paper.

Paper SBLB0326 (10.1) (February ARC Meeting Papers) and Paper SBLB0326 (10.2) (ARC February Meeting Minutes - Draft) were noted. 

The minutes of the previous meetings of the Strategic and Leadership Board were approved.

The action logs were noted.

The Chair invited any other business.

The Crown Agent noted that the Legal Director for National Casework is now in post on a permanent basis.

The Crown Agent thanked the Non-Executive Directors for their input and scrutiny.

The Chair closed the meeting.