Minutes of the Leadership Board: 18 June 2026

Meeting held on 18 June 2026 in conference Room 1.

Board members present:

Yvette Greener, Chief Operating Officer (Chair)

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 High Court 

Laura Buchan, Legal Director Deaths Investigations

Marlene Anderson, Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates

Sarah Carter, Director for People

Jenny Stewart, Director of Transformation and Change 

Rachael Weir, Director of Policy and Engagement

In attendance:

Jonathan Shebioba, Head of Business Management Local Court 

Gavin Anderson, Head of Business Management Deaths Investigations

Thomas Lindie, Head of Business Management National Casework

Frances Ross, National Casework Stabilisation Lead

Secretariat: 

Matthew Beattie, Corporate Governance Manager 

James Wall, Assistant Private Secretary (Secretariat) 

Apologies:

Lindsey McIntosh, Director of Performance and Service Improvement

Keith Dargie, Chief Digital Officer

Rahul Singh, Chief of Staff

The Chief Operating Officer Greener welcomed attendees and noted apologies from Lindsey McIntosh, Keith Dargie and Rahul

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

The Board reviewed the Action Log, agreed the closure of completed actions and noted the updates provided on remaining actions. Members noted progress in relation to the Digital Device Examination Quality Assurance work and the refreshed performance reporting arrangements.

The Crown Agent and Chief Executive provided a verbal update on the appointment of the new Lord Advocate and Solicitor General following confirmation by the Scottish Parliament. They commented on the Law Officers’ initial priorities on taking office and their preferred ways of working and plans for engagement with Parliament and key stakeholders.

The Chair provided an update on engagement with Scottish Government colleagues following the formation of the new administration. The Board noted the continued focus on public sector reform, public sector efficiency and the challenging fiscal position facing the Scottish Government.

The Board discussed opportunities to strengthen engagement with Scottish Ministers, Parliament and criminal justice partners to improve understanding of COPFS's role, priorities and operating environment.

The Chair provided a verbal update on progress in developing the revised organisational risk register and thanked colleagues for their engagement with the process. The Board noted that the updated risk register would be presented at the next meeting and that work was continuing to strengthen links between risk and performance reporting to support organisational decision-making.

The Chair introduced Paper LB0626(4.1) (Performance Report – June 2026).

The Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates provided a verbal update on the financial report, noting their concerns about the current forecasting for FY 26/27. They advised that the forecasted overspend was primarily driven by staff costs and highlighted the significance of the pressures facing the organisation in the coming fiscal years. The Director for People shared that tactical and strategic workforce planning groups were being established to look at the prioritisation of resourcing decisions, with invitations being extended to Heads of Business Management.

The Legal Director for Deaths Investigations asked to see the organisational vacancy position, noting that they only knew the vacancy position within the Deaths Investigations function.

ACTION: Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates to distribute organisational vacancy position

The Board discussed the need for a coordinated organisational approach to workforce planning and agreed that further work was required to model future staffing requirements, affordability and organisational priorities. Members recognised that continued financial pressures may require further prioritisation of resources across the organisation. 

The Corporate Governance Manager introduced the refreshed Performance Dashboard and Functional Narrative Reports. The Board noted that six measures were on target, two were at risk, ten were off target and one measure did not yet have sufficient data available. Members welcomed the revised reporting format and noted that it would continue to be refined following feedback. 

The Board discussed organisational performance, noting improvements in a number of measures, including summary trial volumes and COVID death investigations. Members also discussed ongoing pressures relating to casework timeliness, workforce capacity, sickness absence and operational demand. The Board agreed on the importance of continued scrutiny of performance trends and ensuring that appropriate mitigation remained in place where performance was off target.

The Board considered the Functional Narrative Reports and discussed key risks and challenges across Deaths Investigations, Corporate Services, National Casework and Local Court. The Board noted assurances regarding mitigation activity and ongoing improvement work within each function.

The Legal Director for National Casework introduced Paper LB0626(6.1) (National Casework Stabilisation Deep Dive). The paper provided an update on progress against the National Casework Stabilisation Programme and outlined the actions being taken to improve productivity, manage increasing demand and reduce operational risk.

The Board noted early signs of improvement in several areas, including case preparation and indicting activity, following the introduction of process improvements and targeted interventions. Members also noted forecasts indicating continued increases in custody and bail case volumes and recognised the ongoing pressures this would place on the function.

The Board discussed how progress against the stabilisation programme would be measured and challenged the function on the sustainability of planned improvements. Members sought assurance regarding performance monitoring arrangements, workforce capacity and the ability of the function to respond to increasing demand while maintaining service delivery and managing timebar risk. The Board was advised that detailed monitoring arrangements were in place, that operational risks had been assessed, and that workforce planning and resource deployment continued to be kept under review as part of the stabilisation programme. 

The Board discussed the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence and technology within casework and highlighted the importance of ensuring a coordinated organisational approach and appropriate governance arrangements. Members noted ongoing work in this area and agreed that further consideration by the Leadership Board would be required.

The Board sought assurance regarding the function's preparedness for future increases in workload and its ability to maintain progress during the planned surge phase of the stabilisation programme. Members were advised that managers were closely monitoring delivery, that contingency planning was underway, and that the function remained focused on maintaining progress while managing wellbeing and workforce pressures. The Board welcomed the progress made to date and recognised the significant work being undertaken across National Casework to stabilise performance and reduce risk..

Action: Governance to arrange an extraordinary meeting of the Leadership Board to consider the forthcoming AI paper.

The Legal Director for Local Court introduced Paper LB0626 (7.1) (Local Court Deep Dive). The paper provided an overview of current performance, workload pressures and the improvement activity being undertaken within the function.

The Board noted that the Local Court function continued to operate in a challenging environment, characterised by increasing solemn case volumes, a high and sustained workload, and the impact of resource transfers to support organisational priorities. Members were advised that, despite these pressures, key operational outputs had been maintained, and a range of improvement activity remained underway across the function. 

Members discussed future workload projections, workforce capacity and the sustainability of current performance levels in light of increasing demand and resourcing pressures. The Board challenged the function on whether current performance targets remained achievable and sought assurance regarding the assumptions underpinning future planning and delivery. The function advised that it was still too early to determine given the range of changes introduced across the business, including resource transfers to support National Casework Stabilisation, the introduction of the new Prosecution Code and Test, and other changes affecting case preparation and progression.

The Board discussed the mitigations currently in place to maintain performance, including process improvements, streamlined pathways for Sheriff and Jury casework and the use of overtime in priority areas. Members recognised the contribution these measures had made to maintaining operational delivery but sought assurance regarding their long-term sustainability and the impact on staff wellbeing. The function advised that alternative approaches continued to be explored where possible to reduce reliance on overtime while maintaining performance and meeting statutory obligations.

Members further discussed the importance of demonstrating that recent operational changes were delivering measurable benefits and productivity improvements. The Board noted that it would be important to continue monitoring performance trends to understand the impact of initiatives such as Summary Case Management, the new Prosecution Code and Test and increased use of body-worn video evidence on workload, throughput and case progression. Members also discussed the development of standardised templates and case pathways and emphasised the importance of avoiding duplication of effort where cases progress between forums. The Board agreed that opportunities to streamline processes and ensure information could be built upon as cases progress, rather than recreated, should be explored further through the Tactical Change Portfolio.

The Board received assurance that the function continued to monitor demand, performance and workforce pressures closely and that mitigating actions remained in place. Members welcomed the improvement work underway and agreed that future reporting should continue to demonstrate the impact of interventions and the benefits being realised.

The Head of Business Management for Deaths Investigations introduced Paper LB0626(8.1) (Digital Device Assurance – June 26).

The Head of Business Management for Deaths Investigations provided a verbal update on the item, noting engagement with functional leadership teams and sharing that guidance would be issued in the week commencing June 22^nd, ahead of a ‘go live’ date of July 1^st for the proposed quality assurance processes. They noted that the first quality assurance report would go to IAG in October and suggested keeping the action open until the ‘go live’ had proceeded.

The decision log was noted.

The closed action log was noted.

The Chair invited any other business.

The Legal Director for Litigation provided an update on a recent decision in an ongoing malicious prosecution case and noted the potential implications to COPFS and future cases of a similar nature.

The Chair confirmed the next Leadership Board meeting will be held on 23^rd July 2026 with the deadline for papers midday on the 17^th July 2026.

The Chair closed the meeting.