Decision details

After significant progress was made to reduce Covid-19-related backlogs in the courts, the volume of cases coming into Greater Manchester Magistrates courts has risen significantly in the last year causing the situation at Manchester Magistrates court to be considered a critical incident in March 2023 by the LCJB. This is in the main attributed to a rise in police arrests and the subsequent charges and remands, combined with legal advisor resources, the introduction of common platform and the associated HMCTS strikes, sitting day allocation and the availability of on the day pre-sentence reports.

As such GMCA and the LCJB require a detailed understanding of the demand across the system and where the critical pressure points exist and a model that accurately captures:
• the dynamics of the system as it currently operates, demand and flow through the system
• future demand and risk, based on current trajectories if things stay as they are
• the impact of potential future changes to the system, such as impacts from policy changes or changes in workforce numbers or profiles of offending

Crest will also test three scenarios that represent possible changes that could be made to the system to impact throughput and the potential consequences of those choices. A report with recommendations for tactical changes that would have the greatest impact on relieving pressure on the system to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system in Greater Manchester will be produced.
Crest were identified as a CJ specialist service and that they had previous data sharing agreements with GM CJS partners and understood the systems to allow an approach to be developed at pace due to the urgency of the issue.

Due to the declaration by the GM Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) of a critical incident in the GM Magistrates Courts THAT Crest Advisory provide analytical support to understand the demand across the system and where the critical pressure points exist. This is following an increase in GMP arrests and other factors resulting in a rise in
demand, impacting on the Magistrates courts which are at risk of becoming overwhelmed.
It is estimated the cost of the full programme of work to be £49,562 excluding VAT.