Voluntary organisations in the Southside have expressed concerns over their representation on the new Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs). The voluntary sector will hold one seat on each 18-member board. Nominations for the voluntary sector representative had to be submitted by Friday August 4.

Helen MacNeil, Chief Executive of Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS), is managing the voting process for the voluntary sector board members.

‘There is huge interest in the voting process’, she said, ‘as local voluntary groups are aware of how vital their input will be to Community Planning. They are the organisations that can ensure local solutions are applied to local problems.’

‘It’s a bit late in the day’, said Matthew Finkle, Project Officer at volunteer organisation Castlemilk Environment Trust, ‘Only one representative on each board is, honestly, derisory. It’s not enough, in my opinion.’

Liz McCaffrey, Administration Officer at Govan’s Pearce Institute, echoed his opinion, ‘There’s a general sense of unease. I think it’s disappointing that there will only be one representative, considering the size of the voluntary sector in each area. There are a lot of organisations, particularly within Greater Govan, that deal with issues like homelessness and substance abuse. It would be a great shame if they were to fall by the wayside. There’s been a lack of communication, in my opinion, and no clarity as regards funding.’