Board minutes: 22 April 2020

There were no apologies.

There were no new declarations of interest.

Resolved: That the minutes of the Commission Board meeting on 18 March 2020 be agreed.

The Chief Executive noted the organisation’s swift transition to remote working had gone well overall, and he hoped it had also been beneficial for our staff’s health, as we did not have reports of widespread illness.

The Board heard that the Speaker’s Committee had approved our interim Corporate Plan and budget, and work was now underway to consider how best to deliver what was in the plan in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Board discussed the impact of the current situation on the ability for parties and campaigners to submit their returns by the statutory deadlines and what this would mean for our transparency publications. The Director of Regulation said we were in communication with our stakeholders to understand their specific situations and the impact this would have on compliance. She noted a late return was not automatically an offence.

The Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance updated the Board on the secondary legislation relating to the postponement of the 2020 polls, and the work that the Cabinet Office were leading to plan for the elections that would now take place in 2021.

The Board heard that the government was due to take a decision on the canvas shortly. The current expectation was that the reformed canvas would proceed, though possibly with a revised end date, and we continued to support Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and their teams in preparing for this.

The Board agreed that a discussion at a future meeting around the May 2021 polls and the sequencing of elections after that would be useful.

The Director of Communications, Policy and Research updated the Board on the work his teams were doing to ensure our stakeholders continued to be informed, while at the same time acknowledging that some currently had different priorities.

The Director of Finance and Corporate Services said work was underway to prepare the end of year accounts. Overall, this was progressing smoothly, but he noted there would likely be a couple of issues that would need discussion with the National Audit Office (NAO) before the accounts could be settled. He also updated the Board on the financial position at the end of the financial year, noting we had ended the year with a substantial underspend. This related principally to the unscheduled UK Parliamentary General Election (UKPGE) and the volatile electoral year, along with decisions we had taken around the core budget to manage what could have been a significant overspend. He noted that while we had a good narrative to explain the situation, we would also be challenging ourselves to see if there was anything we could have done differently to manage the situation.

The Board discussed the possible impact the current situation around the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis this had created could have on the Commission’s future budgets.

Action: Add an agenda item on the timeline for the 2021 polls and the sequencing of elections after that date, to the forward plan of Board business.

Resolved: That the paper be noted.

The Head of Strategic Planning and Performance updated the Board on the revised timeline for the production of the new Corporate Plan.

The Board discussed the opportunities this could present to take account of the current situation and our ambitions for the longer-term modernisation agenda. The Chief Executive noted the occasions on the Board forward plan for these discussions.

Resolved: That the paper be noted.

The Head of Strategic Planning and Performance reminded the Board this report was a backward looking review of how risk had been managed through the last year. He noted that Risk 5 relating to Brexit had now been closed.

The Chief Executive highlighted some of the actions taken though the year to improve the way the organisation managed risk.

The Board discussed the importance of reflecting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in our current risk registers.

Resolved: That the paper be noted.

The Chair noted that due to the current coronavirus situation, the independent led Board effectiveness review had been delayed, but plans were in place for them to observe at a future meeting and to consult with individual Board members. This delay meant we had not completed an effectiveness review in the last financial year, so this was the Board’s opportunity to raise anything in advance of the more substantial review, which would get underway shortly.

The Board discussed the Report. Issues noted for further consideration included

The make-up and diversity of the Board
How Board members might increase their engagement with a wider range of stakeholders
How Board members could be engaged in the wider organisation between meetings

Resolved: That the paper be noted, in advance of the full Board effectiveness review being carried out by the independent organisation engaged for those purposes.
 

The Board considered whether a discussion around electoral divergence and the different approaches the devolved governments were taking to electoral modernisation might be useful.

Action: Add a discussion around how we use our research to the May Board agenda, with a more substantive discussion at the September Board meeting

Action: In the present context, Chief Executive’s Update reports to include an update on risk

Resolved: That the paper be noted.

Resolved: That the paper be noted.