Glasgow Fair - men at work

Glasgow's traditional Fair holiday weekend and it's 9.30pm on Fair Sunday, with the council's Land & Environmental Services team working to resurface Prospecthill Road.

This is a key route across the south of the city with the new surface being laid right next to the busy Asda Toryglen - open 24 hours a day - and the popular new Toryglen Regional Football Centre in an area where my council colleague Bailie James Scanlon leads the local authority work of Labour's team with the support of Councillor Anne Marie Millar alongside James Kelly MSP and new MP Anas Sarwar.

Key roadworks such as this are planned to cause the minimum disruption so it was important to use the holiday weekend for this vital work with the roads slightly less busier than usual and the new surface was ready for streams of traffic the following day.

It's important to praise the council staff who have gone through considerable service reform - including significant changes to shift patterns in Land and Environmental Services - for the important work they do all year round in communities across the city.

Uncollected council tax

The GMB trade union will shortly be releasing details of "uncollected council tax" in all local authorities across Great Britain. This is calculated by subtracting the council tax received last year from what was billed.

Councils can be defensive about this issue, but the GMB regularly points to legal restrictions which make it more difficult for local authorities to collect what is due promptly, for example when tenants rent from a landlord and also when they move from that property.

In Glasgow, the City Council recently announced that more council tax bills are being paid than ever before, with collection rates in 2009/10 at their highest ever levels.

The increase is particularly encouraging during the economic downturn and in securing major year-on-year revenue collection improvements, Glasgow is bucking the trend.

However, it is crucial that everyone pays their fair share and it is the council's duty to spend the public's money efficiently on what is important. In Glasgow, our priorities are education, jobs and the economy along with targeted support of our most vulnerable.

The Council is trying to make it as easy as possible to pay Council Tax and to claim any rebates, but it will also vigorously pursue those who try to dodge their share.

I am currently a member of Scottish Labour's Local Taxation Working Group and previously took part in the City Council's cross-party assessment of a wide range of taxes potentially able to fund local services for Glasgow.

The GMB again raises important issues as we consider the future of local taxation in Scotland.

Primary schools update

While Glasgow was initially asked with all of Scotland's 32 councils to propose one school in each local authority for development last autumn, the city was eventually offered half the funding for three new schools from the Scottish Futures Trust, as mentioned in an earlier post.

This is an update I received today from the Council's Education Services:


Scottish Futures Trust - First Phase (Primary Schools Building Programme)

As you will be aware the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is the independent company established by the Scottish Government to deliver public infrastructure investment.

Prioritising options within councils is challenging as many factors can be evaluated. Clear benefits in one proposal may not be as immediately clear in others; there are also objective and subjective elements involved in most selection processes. Glasgow City Council considered the following factors in relation to our proposals:

• Roll - this ensured that the number of children who would benefit from inclusion in the project was factored in;
• Occupancy/Efficiency - this was included in order that an appropriate weighting was given to operationally inefficient establishments, i.e. those with low occupancy rates;
• Condition of building - most of the establishments considered are of roughly equivalent condition; however, where there were measurable differences due cognisance was given;
• Suitability of site - this in effect considered the deliverability of the project i.e. timescale, site topography and cost.

In addition to this, there was further consideration of: maintenance backlog, mid-life upgrade cost and the Disability Discrimination Act e.g. accessibility adaptations and how readily achievable they would be.

After due consideration, the Council identified three new build replacement projects for inclusion in the first phase. The establishments involved were identified on the basis of their declining condition, large school rolls, and importance to community cohesion:

1. Garrowhill Primary School

2. Glendale Primary School, including a co-located Gaelic medium primary
The above two establishments have been identified for inclusion on the basis of suitability, sustainability, community cohesion and that in excess of 400 children for Garrowhill and around 300 children for Glendale would benefit.

3. St Brendan’s Primary School
Glasgow City Council has also committed to using SFT funding along with our own to create a campus which would consist of Garscadden Primary School, Yoker Primary School (including Thirlstane Day Nursery) and St Brendan’s Primary School (including Kelso Nursery). This proposal is to create one non-denominational and one denominational school on a shared site along with an early years centre. This will allow each school to develop its own unique identity and ethos while benefitting from the sharing of facilities such as recreation and leisure. This approach is in line with our School Estate Strategy and would have a significant impact on community cohesion and development. It is proposed that this new facility would be built on the St Brendan’s site.

The SFT have advised that funding is available between 2010/2014 for the above programmes:

• Garrowhill Primary School commences 2010/2011 and the council will receive a maximum funding contribution of £3,824,625.
• Glendale Primary School is anticipated to commence 2012/2013 and the council will receive a maximum funding contribution of £3,983,250.
• St Brendan’s Primary School is anticipated to commence 2013/2014 and the council will receive a maximum funding contribution of £2,796,500.

Terms and conditions apply to the grants, funding contributions will not exceed one half of the out-turn costs of the projects and the level of funding received will be adjusted to take account of any movements in inflation.

Some additional information:

• Garrowhill Primary School - current roll 413
• Glendale Primary School - current roll of 288
• Garscadden Primary School, Yoker Primary School (including Thirlstane Day Nursery) and St Brendan’s Primary School (including Kelso Nursery) - current rolls at Garscadden Primary School 195, Yoker Primary School 123 and St Brendan’s Primary School 193

The current position is that we are working on developing Project 1 (Garrowhill) including how to design/fund the Early Years aspect of it. The SFT process is unlike others whereby we are now developing designs and detailed costs after projects are approved in principle.

At this stage I would anticipate that papers will be presented to the Executive Committee for approval when we know what the final design/cost implications are. The onsite Development and Regeneration Services works at Garrowhill this Summer will inform this paper. The intention is to progress Project 1 (Garrowhill) and then move to Project 2 (Glendale) etc.

Staff and Parent Councils have been advised of the current position and will be kept advised of progress.

Ideas for a fairer Scotland

Last year I was elected in a postal ballot to represent Labour Party members from Glasgow South and Glasgow South West constituencies on our Scottish Policy Forum.

The road to the 2011 manifesto is well underway. At Scottish Labour conference this October, we will agree the final year policy documents that will form the basis for next May's Scottish Parliament election manifesto. However, it isn’t too late to send in your response to our second year policy consultation.

Due to the General Election, the opportunity to take part in the consultation was extended to Friday 30 July. Constituency parties received paper copies of the consultation document and have been meeting to form their own replies.

To send in your own individual views, please download Ideas for a fairer Scotland and feed in your own response.

Money Matters

Congratulations to Money Matters on celebrating its 20th anniversary in Govan this week.
Managed by local volunteers and delivering money advice in the south west of Glasgow as part of the city's financial inclusion strategy, Money Matters has made a remarkable difference to people's lives since 1990.

Due to increased demand for their services, Money Matters recently moved to larger offices in the former Orkney Street police station, now developed by Glasgow South West Regeneration Agency as a thriving enterprise centre where Govan Law Centre is also now based and providing a vital local service.

Special thanks are due to the leadership of Geraldine Cotter who has also been a great support to key partners locally and across Glasgow in recent years as financial advice became more significant in our wider agenda on mental health. For an appointment or more information please phone 0141 445 5211 or email.

Charitable benefits

How do we fund cultural, leisure and sporting activities during the economic downturn? The Glasgow Life charity model may be the way forward for other councils and institutions, as we work through the current economic crisis.

Culture and Sport Glasgow was first established in 2007 to deliver services previously provided by the City Council's Cultural & Leisure Services. I was appointed as one of the charity's directors shortly after the subsequent Scottish elections that May. I am also appointed to Culture and Sport Glasgow (Trading) CIC, the community interest company set up to generate income from retail and catering activities.

Glasgow Life delivers a wide range of services through 158 directly managed and leased facilities. Our annual budget is more than £100 million and we employ around 3,000 staff making us one of the city’s biggest employers.

Despite the recession, our services were used by 14.5 million visitors over the past year, up by almost one million on the previous year. The public like what they’ve seen in the last three years. Our museums and libraries attract a 97% satisfaction rate on the Glasgow Household Survey. The Glasgow Club has over 24,000 members using modern sports facilities across the city.

During previous recessions, Glasgow invested in its arts and cultural heritage and emerged stronger as a result. In 1983, we opened the Burrell Collection in Pollok Park and celebrated the Year of Culture in 1990. Glasgow has invested more than £120 million in sport and leisure facilities over the past ten years and will spend a further £150 million in the next five years.

This investment has created construction jobs at a vital time for the city economy, recognising that by building for the future - with the new Riverside Museum or infrastructure for the 2014 Commonwealth Games - Glasgow can emerge from this recession well-placed.

There will be cuts and savings to be found in the current financial climate, but as a charity we can work more flexibly and attract new funding.

We operate seven days a week. We’re asking our staff to change the way they work, in exchange for a commitment to protect both jobs and services. Although there are some points of dispute at present, it is important to remember that staff and trade unions have responded well to our changes as a charity since 2007, with significant improvements in absence rates benefiting colleagues at work and customers in venues all over Glasgow.

Set up as an independent charity, services are provided contractually to the local council - directly accountable to elected representatives as key stakeholders - on behalf of communities across Glasgow.

As a charity, we have achieved specific savings of £19.2 million in our first three years through reductions in non-domestic rates alone. This level of saving equates to around 1,000 jobs. Had we not been a charity, that £19.2 million burden would have been borne by our staff and local taxpayers, with a negative impact on jobs and services.

As a charity we can access trusts and funds which were simply not open to us when services were part of the Council. Almost a third of our overall income now comes from outwith funding agreed with the City Council. This is a much larger proportion than other established charities who provide services such as social care to local authorities.

Over the past three years, a total of £2.25 million has been raised from sponsorship, donations and voluntary income, against a target of £1.1 million. Our fundraising team has been exceeding its target, generating almost £1 million in sponsorship and donations from institutions and benefactors. That amounts to a quarter of the annual running costs at Kelvingrove, Scotland’s most popular visitor attraction and one of the busiest in the UK. A growing number of those visitors who enjoy our free museums and libraries or pay to use our sports centres and community halls are contributing by making donations of cash or giving time as volunteers.

With financial pressures across the public sector, other councils are now considering how best to deliver services and protect jobs and our experience as a charity may be part of the answer for many.

Ripped off Glasgow

People in Glasgow share the same concerns as any other part of the country – tackling crime, creating jobs and helping families through tough times – but one persistent issue unique to the city is continuing anger at the SNP government ripping off Glasgow.

This made a huge impact when Labour's William Bain was elected Glasgow North East MP in last November’s by-election with a massive 8,111 majority and remained a key issue during the recent General Election for voters in Glasgow.

Despite receiving a record amount of money from Westminster this year from the former Labour government - over £600million more than the previous year’s Scottish budget - the SNP government gave Glasgow a raw deal and there are fears that worse is planned for coming years.

It’s not for lack of trying. While a strong Labour Council, Glasgow has never played petty politics with SNP ministers. We’ve been fair and successful in fighting our corner, securing vital investment to complete the M74 motorway - boosting jobs in Glasgow’s southside and east end - and develop the Cart flood prevention scheme, protecting homes across the south of our city.

That soured over the past year, as SNP ministers:

• Scrapped the Glasgow Airport Rail Link with the loss of 1,000 new jobs, a decision that saw the city’s Evening Times headline scream “BETRAYED” with First Minister Alex Salmond the man “who put a knife into the city”;


• Slashed £260million from housing and regeneration across Scotland, with our city the hardest hit, putting on hold plans for quality affordable housing;


• Declined to give a penny to museums in Glasgow - where Kelvingrove and the Burrell are among Britain’s busiest attractions - yet handed £40million to Scotland’s “national” museums in Edinburgh;


• Restricted funding for every mile of maintaining the busiest streets in Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city, to effectively the same formula as any mile on the quietest rural road;


• Refused three Town Centre bids to support Glasgow jobs and businesses in Possil, Parkhead and Shawlands - the latter shamefully in Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s own constituency;


• Excluded Glasgow from the first phase of the SNP’s new school building programme, shunning the city as all our secondaries were rebuilt or refurbished ten years ago.
  

After the North East by-election defeat, SNP ministers hastily awarded Glasgow funding for three new primary schools despite stating only one was on offer, but it’s far from generous. Labour ministers previously funded 80% of new builds while councils found the remaining 20%, but the SNP will only match councils 50/50 for new primaries.

When the 2010/11 settlement for councils was announced by SNP ministers, Glasgow had the lowest increase at 1.47% against a Scottish average of 2.77% – leaving the city shortchanged by £20million compared to that average – despite many councils faring much better with sparse explanation.

The SNP now say Glasgow’s extra primary school funding was based on “need”. Labour councillors know what that really means, focusing resources in our communities where it’s needed most. We’ll always argue for that. Not just in Glasgow, but in every council across Scotland.