Glasgow council boss calls on residents to help clean up city

Council leader Susan Aitken is calling on citizens to help clean up Glasgow in a pre-COP26 campaign.

The SNP chief urged people to do their bit alongside the council before the “eyes of the world” are on the city.

Launching the campaign, she said: “People make Glasgow and I’m sure Glaswegians will join us to help make Glasgow greener too.”

Her plea came after an SNP and Greens budget deal put money into environmental projects.

A £1.5m fund will be set up for improvements to parks and open spaces and £800,000 is being used to take on 16 neighbourhood co-ordinators.

They will join the seven current co-ordinators, providing a point of contact for councillors, community groups and residents for local issues in every ward in the city.

There is also £600,000 for community projects to “lower carbon emissions” and “secure a local legacy” in the year of COP26.

The council leader said Glaswegians are “proud of our city and communities” but are “let down by a minority”, who litter, fly-tip and graffiti.

She added: “I understand that if we are to ask our citizens to help Glasgow step up to the mark, then the council has got to ensure the services we provide are effective and reliable, as they return to normality after the significant and inevitable impact of the pandemic.

“We all have a shared interest in the future of our city and by all playing our own small part we are also contributing to the future of our planet.”

In just over six months, world leaders will arrive in Glasgow for COP26, a crucial climate conference.

The council leader said: “We have an opportunity to not only have our city associated with the biggest – and maybe last – opportunity to steer our planet onto a safer path, but also to accelerate the changes we have to make as a city.”

A new litter prevention action plan – the first part of the campaign – will go before councillors this week.

The plans aim to help organisations and communities take collective action to prevent litter and fly-tipping. They could include litter prevention posters, providing sufficient bins in premises and creating a cleansing schedule.

It is part of a ‘Clean Glasgow’ programme, first launched in 2007 and now refreshed. The council will focus on education, engagement, enhancement and, if required, enforcement.

The People Make Glasgow Greener is expected to run “well beyond” COP26 – with a second phase planned for immediately after the conference to “capitalise on momentum”.

Story by local democracy reporter Drew Sandelands