Chadderton is one of dozens of "overlooked" UK towns in line for a £20 million investment over a 10-year period to help it to regenerate and to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The Prime Minister announced the investment totalling more than £1 billion on Saturday (September 30) on the eve of The Conservative Party Conference in the city centre.

Rishi Sunak said 55 "overlooked" UK towns are affected by the Long-Term Plan for Towns, including Chadderton, all of them allocated the £20 million investment over a 10-year period on the basis of determinants including deprivation.

It aims to help it to regenerate and to tackle anti-social behaviour but its use is to be determined by a Town Board of the council, the MP and other organisations which is advised by a Towns Taskforce in the Department for Levelling Up.

Mr Sunak said: "Towns are the place most of us call home, and where most of us go to work, but politicians have always taken towns for granted. The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour which undermine towns' prosperity and hold back people's opportunity.

"This changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of the people themselves to invest in line with their priorities over the long-term. This is how we level up."

Angela Rayner, shadow secretary for Levelling Up, criticised the announcement by the Prime Minister.

The town at the centre of her constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne is one of the towns affected as well.

Ms Rayner said: "Levelling Up announcements from this government amount to barely more than shiny headlines, chaos and delays.

"While the Tories force communities to go cap in hand to Whitehall begging for their own money back, the next Labour government will spread power, wealth and opportunity to all parts of our country.

"We will grow our economy by harnessing the talents, ambition and skills of all British people and, in turn, provide sustainable, long-term funding for councils, and certainty for business to invest.

"Labour will give these towns their future back."

Here is a list of the towns affected:
Accrington
Ashton-under-Lyne
Barnsley
Barry
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bilston
Blyth
Boston
Burnley
Castleford
Chadderton
Chesterfield
Clacton-on-Sea
Clifton
Clydebank
Coatbridge
Cwmbrân
Darlaston
​Darwen
Dewsbury
Doncaster
Dudley
Dumfries
Elgin
Eston
Farnworth
Great Yarmouth
Greenock
Grimsby
Hartlepool
Hastings
Heywood
Irvine
Jarrow
Keighley
Kilmarnock
Kirkby
Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Leigh
Mansfield
Merthyr Tydfil
Nelson
Newark-on-Trent
Rotherham
Ryde
Scarborough
Scunthorpe
Skegness
Smethwick
Spalding
Spennymoor
Torquay
Washington
Worksop
Wrexham

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.