Chair's Board Update July 2023

The following areas were discussed:

• Future Regulatory Arrangements: the Board received a report on the consultation paper we published on 15 May: Specialist Regulation for the Future of an Independent Profession. We were delighted by the quality and volume of responses with over 1000 written responses- a record for any CRL consultation- as well as another 150 firms and individuals attending the three webinars we hosted. We agreed that in line with our commitments to transparency, and good regulatory performance we should publish a summary of consultation responses on Monday 17 July.
• We also considered the next steps in our work with CILEX on future regulatory arrangements, and agreed a proposal to put to the CILEX Board responding to the Case for Change they published last year. This builds on the considerable achievements over the last 15 years, the rich evidence we have gained from our consultation, and sets out an ambitious agenda for the future as the right blend of continuity and change. We strongly believe that the right way forward for the CILEX community is to build on what has been achieved, and to have confidence in the CILEX brand. We look forward to CILEX’s response so we can move forward together.
• Practising Certificate Fee: the Board discussed and agreed the consultation on the proposed practising certificate fee to be charged for 2024. We will issue this consultation very soon*. We were pleased that once again we and CILEX were able to hold the PCF at its current level notwithstanding significant inflationary pressures, and an increase of 9% in the regulatory levies paid to the Legal Services Board. We look forward to your views.
• Financial Performance: we reviewed our financial performance for the first half of 2023 and were pleased to see overall a strong operating performance ahead of target. We also met our Auditors and approved the Financial Statements for 2022. These show a strong operational performance with an operating surplus of £193,000 offset by use of our reserves to deal with the extra work following CILEX’s announcement on seeking to switch regulatory responsibility to the SRA.
• Operations: we received our regular reports on performance and were pleased to see strong progress across the board with continued improvements on enforcement, strong action on education notably on implementation of our plans on ongoing competence, and continued work on EDI.
• Transparency: The Board agreed its Annual Report for 2022, and received a range of Committee and Panel reports. We are immensely grateful to all the CILEX professionals and lay members who share their time and skill with us. Our organisation is much the stronger for this involvement.

Our next planned Board catch-up is on 7 September with our next full meeting on 27 September 2023 when we will finalise the PCF for 2024, receive updates on enforcement, and begin preparations of the 2024 Business Plan.

Access all board meeting documents on the CRL website

* Practising Certificate Fee 2024 – consultation now open