Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made the surprise announcement over the weekend that if re-elected his government would reintroduce “mandatory” national service for 18-year-olds.
But that this would be funded from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is already set to pay for a range of projects around Bolton.
Labour candidate for Bolton North East Kirith Entwistle said: “As far as I’m aware what is already being planned should still go ahead and I certainly hope that’s the case.
“But to me it feels like a desperate attempt by the government to win back the support of their own backbenchers and their own traditional voters.”
Bolton has been granted several rounds of Levelling Up funding (Image: Bolton Council)
She added: “It just seems to be a bit of a panicked response and will mean less funding for our towns in the north.”
Levelling Up funding has already been granted for major projects like the Bolton Institute of Medical Sciences on the ground of Royal Bolton Hospital in Farnworth.
Last November, Bolton was granted a further £20M for projects aimed at regenerating the town centre around Le Mans Crescent and the Market Place shopping centre.
But Rishi Sunak’s proposed national service plan will use money from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund that had previously been used for projects like these.
The national service scheme will require 18-year-olds to either join the military for 12 months or to do voluntary work for one weekend a month for a year.
Bolton West Conservative MP Chris Green said that he also understood that Levelling Up projects would still be funded.
Mr Green said: “The Prime Minister wants a Royal Commission about this, he recognises that there is a lot of division in our society and he wants to bring people together.
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He added: “So he wants to find ways of doing that whether it’s the military route of the civil route.
“There are questions about the kinds of experiences that will take place and about where the funding comes from, but I think these will be questions for the Royal Commission.”
In Bolton, council leaders say they do not believe the national service proposals will impact on plans for Levelling Up.
Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: “It’s not going to happen, its un-costed and it just seems like quite a desperate move.”
