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Cover paper, Annual Operating Plan 2025 to 2026

Summary

Agency board report number: SEPA 25-26/003

The report presents the final draft Annual Operating Plan (AOP) 2025-2026 for consideration by the Agency Board.  The AOP aligns with the strategic priorities, outlined in our Corporate Plan, and sets out our key areas of focus for the year ahead. The AOP also provides details of our performance, setting objectives and key results to which stakeholders can hold us to account.

1. Introduction

1.1. SEPA is required to publish an annual operating plan for each separate year of the Corporate Plan. This report presents the final draft Annual Operating Plan 2025-2026 for consideration by the Agency Board.  

1.2. As set out in SEPA’s Framework Document, the AOP should include key targets and milestones for the year immediately ahead, aligning with the National Performance Framework and linked to budgeting information.  It should be published on SEPA’s website.

2. Overview

2.1. The purpose of the AOP is to describe what our key focus will be in the year ahead in context of our corporate plan and provide assurance on our core functions. It should not and cannot be everything we do.

2.2. The primary audience is the Scottish Government, the Board and external stakeholders.

2.3. The final draft AOP is attached in Appendix 1. It provides an overview of our statutory purpose and the activities that we do on a day-to-day basis as well as our key areas of focus for 2025-2026 across our five strategic priorities in the Corporate Plan (Net zero, Climate resilience, Water environment, Resource efficiency, Business environmental performance), our Organisation and our Transformation.

The Plan also sets our performance for the year ahead, including Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), and our resources.

2.4. This year’s AOP has been developed in accordance with the approach outlined to the Agency Board in February 2025, aligning with resource planning and supporting the ongoing build of our strategy, planning and performance framework.  

2.5. Throughout the development of the AOP, engagement and consultation have taken place with the Senior Leadership team, the Corporate Leadership Team, the Agency Board and Scottish Government, to define key deliverables/areas of focus, receive feedback and identify performance measures.

2.6. The AOP aligns the revised performance measurement approach and includes Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) for some of the key deliverables, complementing the suite of organisational key strategic and operational performance indicators (KPIs) and indicating areas where we expect to make an impact.  

2.7. Subject to the agreement by the Agency Board, the AOP will be published on 1 May 2025. We will lead with a HTML version for the website which will be fully accessible followed by a ‘light touch’ designed PDF. A working version of the PDF will be shared separately with the Agency Board.

2.8. As part of the development of the Corporate Plan and subsequent Annual Operating Plans, an Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment was undertaken.  This has been reviewed and remains unchanged. 

3. Recommendations

3.1  The Board is asked to agree the publication of the Annual Operating Plan on SEPA’s website.