Board Meeting Summary
Meeting Date: Wednesday 22nd April 2026
GRANT IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORTS
The Board received two Grant Impact Assessment reports relating to HBLB funding of the National Racehorse Week and the Retraining of Racehorses. These would be published in due course.
VETERINARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (VAC) RECOMMENDATIONS
The Board approved the VAC recommendations for grant awards.
NON-FIXTURE GRANTS: REVIEW OF PROCESS
The Board approved the principle of multi-year funding of grant applications to commence from 2027. Which applications were awarded in this way would be decided on a case by case basis.
The Board approved the delegation of Small Grant Awards to the Executive up to a maximum value of £10,000 subject to the Executive developing an appropriate mechanism to provide oversight and sign-off within the team.
The Board agreed that a separate Board meeting should be introduced to deal exclusively with Non-Fixture Grant Applications.
BUSINESS PLAN
The Board noted the Business Plan Implementation Tracker to 31 March 2026.
RECORDING GIFTS AND HOSPITALITY ON THE MEMBERS’ HUB
Board members undertook to declare all gifts and hospitality given or received in their capacity as HBLB members, whether accepted or declined, directly onto the newly developed Board Members’ Hub.
HBLB ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE POLICY
The Board approved HBLB’s Artificial Intelligence Use Policy.
RCA PROGRAMME PROTECTION PAYMENTS REVIEW 2025
The Board noted a summary and full analysis of the Programme Protection Payments (PPP) for the whole of 2025.
EXTERNAL BOARD EFFECTIVENESS REVIEW
The Board approved the process for employing the services of someone or entity to carry out an External Board Effectiveness Review in 2026, to fulfil its mandatory requirement of carrying out an externally led review every three years.
MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS TO 28 FEBRUARY 2026
The Board approved the Management Accounts to 28 February 2026.