Minutes of the Leadership Board: 23 April 2026

Meeting held on 23^rd April 2026 via Microsoft Teams.

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

Lindsey McIntosh, Director of Performance and Service Improvement

Jenny Stewart, Director of Transformation and Change 

Jonathan Shebioba, Head of Business Management Local Court 

Gavin Anderson, Head of Business Management Deaths Investigations

Thomas Lindie, Head of Business Management National Casework

Keith Dargie, Chief Digital Officer

Rahul Singh, Chief of Staff

Sarah Carter, Director of Human Resources

In attendance:

Sarah Holmes, Head of Information Governance and Security Assurance

David Casey, Head of Organisational Design and Workforce Planning

Khalid Alsayed, Senior HR Manager

Secretariat: 

Frances Ross, Head of Corporate Governance 

Matthew Beattie, Corporate Governance Manager 

Christopher Hastings, Corporate Governance and Briefing Coordinator (Secretariat)

Apologies:

Rachael Weir, Director of Policy

The Chair welcomed attendees to the Leadership Board. Apologies were noted for Rachael Weir.

It was noted that Jim Brisbane’s final Leadership Board meeting was in March. The Chair and Board expressed thanks to Jim for his support and counsel as part of the Leadership Board and other boards over the years.

The Chair asked if anyone had any conflicts of interest with agenda items and no conflicts were reported.

The minutes of the previous meeting were noted.

The Action Log was noted, highlighting which actions were to be closed.

The Crown Agent and Chief Executive thanked Board members for progressing Business Plans earlier than previous years and noted that plans will be published in April.

The Chair requested that a paper be brought to Leadership Board before Action 13 is closed, to provide assurance that the requirements of the relevant audit have been met.

ACTION: Head of Business Management for Deaths Investigations to present paper at May Leadership Board in relation to Quality Assurance of Devices.

The Chair introduced Paper LB0426 (3.1) (Performance Dashboard - April 2026).

The Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates summarised the financial outturn from 2025/26, which was a £2.5m underspend, noting that this is still subject to audit adjustments. The Director of Finance noted that much of the underspend came from released funds. The Director noted that staffing underspends, while financially beneficial, are creating operational pressures.

The Crown Agent and Chief Executive noted that the funding in relation to Operation Iona had now come to an end at the end of the financial year and expressed his thanks to all COPFS staff who worked on this complex and sensitive operation over the past few years.

The Director of Finance, Procurement and Estates gave an overview of the 2026/27 allocations and advised of the process for budget delegations. They noted a projected overspend of £5m at this time due to a range of factors including additional requirements to enable witnesses to give evidence on commission but expressed confidence this projection can be brought down during the year.

The Chief Operating Officer advised that engagement with the Scottish Government is ongoing in relation to funding for IT projects beyond 2026-27 and that further engagement is anticipated with any new administration following the election. The Chief Operating Officer also highlighted the importance of being realistic with recruitment timelines and with moving staff quickly between different business areas, and noted that delays or processes taking longer than expected had contributed to the underspend. 

The Corporate Governance Manager presented the Performance Dashboard noting that 16 measures were achieved in 2025/26, while 15 measures were not achieved, three of which were within 10% of the target.  It was noted that the Performance Dashboard presented to the May Leadership Board will reflect the 2026/27 Business Plan measures.

The Chief Operating Officer expressed concern that KPI targets relating to People had not been achieved. The Chief Operating Officer also asked for more succinct dashboards to be developed for each of the functional areas for the 2026-27 reporting period.

The Board noted that, while the dashboard provides an important view of performance, it will not capture all issues which may present significant organisational and reputational risk. The Board agreed that functions should proactively identify and escalate such risks through functional reporting, to ensure appropriate Leadership Board visibility and oversight.

The Board discussed the potential impact of National Casework stabilisation on future performance measures and reiterated continued support for the stabilisation programme. It was noted that references to stabilisation should be accompanied by clear narrative on mitigations and that, as the year progresses, reporting should focus on delivery impacts and performance improvement rather than on the transfer activity itself.

The Board discussed current pressures within Local Court, including upcoming time-bar risk and demand-led pressures largely outside COPFS control. The Board agreed that a further assessment should be brought to Leadership Board in June, including a deep dive on Local Court (including the “eight pillar plan”) and National Casework stabilisation/time-bar position, to determine whether any further support or mitigations are required.

ACTION: Functional reporting templates and performance dashboards to be refreshed for 2026-27 (Director of Performance and Service Improvement)

ACTION: Deep dive into National Casework Stabilisation and Local Court 8 pillar plan to come to June meeting of Leadership Board (Legal Director National Casework, Legal Director Local Court)

The Director of Transformation and Change introduced Paper LB0426 (4.1) (2026/27 Transformation and Change Portfolio), noting it builds on earlier PMO work to map current initiatives and reflect feedback gathered from Board members and project leads. The Board noted the overall aim is to consolidate the portfolio, improve delivery discipline and ensure the programme is “sustainably ambitious”, given operational pressures.

The Board considered the four elements of the paper:

(i) prioritisation criteria for tactical change

(ii) revised framework of projects and programmes

(iii) an indicative resource ceiling for delivery

(iv) governance and delegation

and agreed the approach of taking decisions sequentially against each element.

On prioritisation criteria, the Board agreed that tactical change should focus on initiatives capable of delivering material benefit within the current financial year. The Board supported broadening the criteria so that tactical work may be prioritised where it delivers either (a) benefits for customers/partners (including victims and witnesses) and/or (b) meaningful internal benefit (e.g., efficiency, service improvement, staff experience). It was also noted that feasibility/ease of implementation is relevant when assessing candidates for “tactical” delivery.

On the revised projects and programmes framework, the Board supported grouping activity under clearer programme objectives to create a coherent narrative and avoid fragmented delivery. It was noted that the “Future Operational Delivery” programme may appear wide in scope; however, the Board agreed it is appropriate as an umbrella to develop a cohesive business case, with delivery expected to split into clearer strands once the business case is complete. The Board also noted the importance of careful wording in portfolio reporting and communications (e.g., using “consolidated” rather than “closed”), particularly for externally visible review commitments.

On the resource ceiling, the Board noted the proposed indicative ceiling of 10% operational capability is intended as a planning maximum (not an FTE transfer), with input expected in short, targeted bursts from the right subject matter experts. Local Court and Deaths Investigations indicated they could support the approach in principle. National Casework advised it could not commit to a fixed percentage at this stage due to operational pressures and stabilisation activity, but confirmed willingness to work with the Director of Transformation and Change as plans are refined and the nature/timing of SME asks becomes clearer.

On governance and delegation, the Board agreed that detailed programme oversight should sit with the proposed Transformation and Change Delivery Board, with quarterly updates to Leadership Board. The Chief Operating Officer emphasised the need for an effective communications approach, so staff understand what is being prioritised and why, and to avoid unnecessary concern about consolidation decisions.

The Director of Transformation and Change thanked the Board for its input and confirmed this provided sufficient direction to progress to the next stage of planning and engagement (including gathering tactical change candidates and refining resource assumptions).

The Senior HR Manager introduced Paper LB0426 (5.1) (Workforce Planning) providing a progress update on activity following the workforce planning audit and setting out a proposed direction for establishing strategic workforce planning within COPFS. The Leadership Board was invited to support the revised approach and to engage with next steps in the process.

The Senior HR Manager explained it will be a multilayer structure approach to workforce planning as well as creating a charter and revised terms of reference for all those within workforce planning to follow.

Head of Organisational Design and Workforce Planning noted that communication and input from the Leadership Board are vital as this is ongoing. They hope the Board would be happy to accommodate this.

The Board held a discussion on the paper. The Head of Business Management for Local Court highlighted the importance of not creating too many meetings, noting the progress to date with simplifying the corporate governance structure. The Board discussed that workforce planning groups would be working groups outside of the formal governance structure. The Chief Digital Officer linked the revised approach to data transformation initiatives and stressed the importance of good data to enable workforce planning.

The Board supported the approach.

The Head of Information Governance and Security Assurance introduced Paper LB0426 (6.1) (Identity Verification and Mandate Policy). The Board noted that the policy was developed following concerns raised by the Response and Information Unit about the absence of consistent guidance on verifying identity and confirming authority to act (mandate), including in responding to correspondence from MPs/MSPs on behalf of members of the public. The policy sets out a proportionate and defensible framework to support lawful disclosure of personal data and to mitigate the risk of unauthorised disclosure (including impersonation and social engineering).

The Head of Information Governance and Security Assurance advised that, while IGSAU and RAU already operate robust identity and mandate checks, the policy is intended to ensure a consistent approach across COPFS. It was confirmed that the policy is not overly prescriptive and allows staff to be satisfied as to identity/authority through a range of reasonable and proportionate checks, reflecting that requirements will vary depending on the circumstances.

The Board discussed the application of the policy for front desk staff and other roles dealing directly with service users. It was confirmed that staff will be empowered to use their judgement to apply proportionate checks (including declining to disclose information where not satisfied), rather than routinely requiring formal identification in all cases. The Board emphasised the importance of clear role-specific guidance and active management oversight to ensure the policy is embedded, including consideration of how compliance will be monitored. The Head of Information Governance and Security Assurance confirmed a communications plan will be developed and delivered in collaboration with Heads of Business Management and Corporate Communications, and that guidance and support will be available from IGSAU/RAU to support local implementation.

Decision: The Board approved the Identity Verification and Mandate Policy for publication. Discussion focused on implementation, including the need for proportionate, role-specific guidance, communications and appropriate oversight.

The PAR Update Paper was noted.

he Chief of Staff introduced Paper LB0426 (8.1) (Governance Model). They issued thanks for feedback to date and advised that the governance model will be brought back to the May Leadership Board meeting. The Chief of Staff advised that in the meantime, the Governance team will work with Corporate Services on the initiation of the People Committee and Transformation and Change Delivery Board.

The decision log was noted.

The closed action log was noted.

The Chair invited any other business; none was raised.

Chair confirmed the next Leadership Board meeting is the 21 May with the deadline for papers midday on the 15 May.

The Chair closed the meeting.