Govan and Ibrox are areas ‘lagging behind’ the rest of Glasgow in its renaissance, Councillor Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council told members of The Southside Business Club at their first meeting of the autumn.

Along with spots in the North and East End of the city, he said he was determined they would share in the growing success being achieved by the ‘real and sustainable jobs’ being created.

‘My top priority, to ensure everyone shares in our current success, is overcoming worklessness and getting people into employed. The more problems we face, the less chance there is of economic growth.’

He said he was ‘not prepared to tolerate’ the fact that three generations of some families had never worked and that communities were being ravaged by drugs and alcohol especially where there was ‘no ambition or ability to change this.’
‘This hurts the people who have to live in these conditions. It hurts the wider community and the city by having to deal with these problems. It is getting in the way of improving the economy when we don’t have staff to fill the available jobs.’
‘Despite the fact that hundreds of millions of pounds of public money is spent in Glasgow every year, the problems continue,’ he added.

In a wide-ranging speech, listened to intently by almost 100 members of the Club which celebrates its 20th anniversary in November, Councillor Purcell re-iterated proposals to transform the public sector in Glasgow by integrating services worth more than £1 billon and around 6000 staff under one formal structure. This would include ‘progressing the sale of public land to encourage development’.

Councillor Purcell said the process of change had started as part of the community planning process: ‘As far as possible, communities should be given much greater opportunities to decide what service they want and need in their area. This is surely the next logical stage in devolution – organizations such as the Council should set city-wide strategic goals and targets; but it is for local people to have a say in exactly how these are delivered.’

Glasgow’s exciting bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games highlighted the new aspiration found in the city and would have been ‘unthinkable’ a few years ago.

The Club’s next meeting will be on Tuesday October 10 in the Thornton Suite of Ibrox Stadium and will feature ’speed networking.’ Contact: gsbc@govan-initiatiave.co.uk or check the website: www.glasgowsouthbusinessclub.co.uk.