Commissioning

Area based grant

Oldham Partnership receives area based grant from central government. This year (2009-2010) this totals £20,251,841. Area based grant is made from what used to be many different government funds which all came with particular conditions on how they should be spent. Government merged these funds into one single fund because it's much easier for us to manage. It also allows local areas to decide how funds can be spent to best effect.  

Five themes

Area based grant is divided into five themes: safe and strong communities, health and wellbeing, economic prosperity, children and young people and partnership support. The Oldham Partnership executive discuss and agree the division of the grant. This year, it is divided like this:

Safe and strong communities

         Safe

         Strong

         Housing

£2,391,754

£1,645,734

£150,000
Health and wellbeing

£4,166,465
Economic prosperity

£2,740,300
Children and young people

£8,158,647
Partnership support£984,570

Commissioning

Each of the five themes then commissions activity through their commissioning board. Each board is made up of staff from partner organisations, councillors and members of the voluntary and community sector.

Commissioning is "the process of specifying, securing and monitoring services in order to meet identified and prioritised needs - both now and in the future at a strategic, operational or individual level."

Through research and consultation, we know what the big priorities are in the borough, and what will make the biggest improvements in people's lives. These priorities are set out in our sustainable community strategy and local area agreement. When we take a commissioning approach, we use our funds on projects, activities and services that we can be certain are helping us deliver these priorities and will meet people's needs.

This is different to how we have worked in the past, when any organisation could make a bid for some funds without us necessarily knowing whether their plans would make a difference to Oldham.

So, this commissioning approach enables us to make the very best use of valuable public funds.

Further information

0161 770 3199
alison.vaughan@oldham.gov.uk

Last updated 23.11.09