You will work in the NHS or the firefighters and so on, so you will certainly engage with community members of all ages and from all wakes of life. For a year of mandatory service that everybody is meant to complete, 18 is arguably the best time to do it.

But anyone who's not 18 will be denied that "opportunity".

When you walk on a public road past a hospital do you think to yourself "they stole my money to build this"? You have rights and duties as a citizen. Your service benefits the community as a whole.

Exactly, I already give over a portion of my labour time via taxes to help society. Forcing people to do 25 days extra unpaid work is either slavery or a huge one off tax on 18 year olds.

There's also no exceptions. So you've already got a job that requires you to do weekends? Touch shit. So you've got staff shortages. Already work for the fire service or police etc. Touch shit. You've got to go pick litter up for 25 days.