Around £1.7M worth of funding is still available to be spent across Bolton.

This comes with Bolton Council set to roll out new “Community Alliances” across the borough to replace the old Area Forums.

According to council documents many of the 20 wards around Bolton still have funding worth well over a million pounds that was divided up amongst them that is yet to be spent.

Bolton Council leader Cllr Nick Peel said: “There are a number of historic budgets which have been ring fenced for members for specific areas.

“On top of that there was also the one-off allocation of £50,000 for each ward that was decided at the last budget.”

A meeting on Community Alliances was held last MarchA meeting on Community Alliances was held last March (Image: Bolton Council)

He added: “It’s not really an option for members to just sit on their budget continuously.

“My position is quite clear, we’re living in quite tough times financially and so for members your task is to look at what schemes we should be spending this money on.

“That should be your priority and your area of expertise.”

According to Bolton Council documents, each of the 20 wards has an Area Working Discretionary Budget, along with a Growing the Good Work budget.

Each ward also has the one-off funding of £50,000 agreed at the last council budget meeting in February this year.

According to reports from the most recent quarter from April 1 to June 30 this year, the total yet to be allocated from these budgets for each ward added together comes to £1,701,997. 

This money can be spent on projects such as improved street lighting, highways works and improvements to parks. 

The budget meeting in February also agreed to a council tax rise of more than five per cent and around £11M worth of cuts to services.

Cllr Peel said that he “Area Working” would soon become a defunct term as the council pushes on with setting up Community Alliances around the borough.

They have already been launched in Bradshaw, Halliwell, Horwich South and Blackrod, Kearsley, Tonge with the Haulgh, Rumworth and Smithills as pilot areas before being rolled out in the rest of Bolton.

These new alliances will have access to the same budget that have yet to be spent and will involve other figures from their areas, like charities and community groups.

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Cllr Peel said that the authority would also work to ensure that elected members spent the money that was available to them.

Further spending from these budgets is also expected over the coming months.

A Bolton Council spokesperson said: “The Area Working Team are actively working with our Elected Members on Area Working spend proposals from the budget available. 

“We will be publishing spend from Area Working budgets on a quarterly basis, showing what the Area Working budgets are supporting more frequently across the year.”