Purpose

The Greater Manchester Justice Devolution initiative is delivering a Whole System Approach to Diversion to reduce harm and reoffending. Building on the extended Wigan pilot, the approach will be developed with Oldham Council to test delivery in another locality, running alongside the same programme in Manchester, and strengthen the evidence base for a Greater Manchester model. The programme promotes collaboration, tailored support and compliance to improve service effectiveness and public safety.
• Focus on reducing reoffending: The initiative will support people who repeatedly enter the criminal justice system and have complex needs, reducing reoffending through a comprehensive diversion approach.
• Role of the Reform Lead: The Oldham Reform Lead will oversee local delivery, align partners and services, and support multi-agency problem solving.
• Community safety and collaboration: The programme supports public safety through the Protect, Enforce, Change Framework and stronger partnership working across statutory and voluntary sectors.
• Sustainable model development and monitoring: Manchester delivery will apply learning from the Wigan pilot to develop a replicable locality model for reducing reoffending, supported by performance monitoring and continuous improvement.
Expected outcomes for the Reducing Reoffending Reform Lead – Oldham delivery include:
• Reduction in Reoffending: Reduce reoffending through a Whole System Approach to Diversion, initially focused on the ‘revolving door’ cohort and later extended to those at risk of offending across all system entry and exit points.
• Improved Coordination and Collaboration: Support the Reform Lead to coordinate partners, share learning and develop a Greater Manchester model.
• Enhanced Community Safety: Improve community safety in Oldham and across Greater Manchester by reducing reoffending.
• Development of a Sustainable Model: Build on the Wigan pilot to develop a sustainable, replicable model, supported by operational planning, project management and continuous improvement.
• Engagement with Local Partners: Work closely with probation, police, the voluntary sector and other partners to meet local needs.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitor progress against agreed goals and adapt the approach to improve outcomes.
Together, these outcomes build on the Wigan pilot to reduce reoffending and improve community safety in Oldham and beyond.

Decision

Oldham Council has been allocated £60,000 to fund the Reducing Reoffending Reform Lead post.

This will support GMCA to further develop the Whole System Approach to Diversion, building on the extended Wigan pilot and running alongside the same programme in Manchester. Oldham locality delivery will help create a replicable reducing reoffending model, initially focused on the prolific, problematic and persistent cohort before extending support to those at risk of offending at key entry and exit points in the system. The grant is for the period 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.