Glasgow parents forced to register newborns in Edinburgh due to lack of appointments

Parents in Glasgow are reportedly being forced to travel to Edinburgh to register their new babies due to lack of appointments.

By law, births must be registered within 21 days. However, some Glasgow parents have reportedly been unable to secure local appointments and have had to register their babies elsewhere, including the Capital.

Labour councillor Lilith Johnstone addressed the SNP-controlled city council at Thursday’s council meeting.

She asked: “Given that parents are legally required to register the birth of a child within 21 days, can the relevant Convenor advise whether Glasgow City Council is currently able to offer birth registration appointments within that period and, if not, what action is being taken to address this?”

In response, the outgoing SNP City Convenor, Susan Aitken, was unable to say how long the council had been unable to provide timely appointments.

New parents wishing to register their baby’s birth are met with a warning on the council web portal.

It reads: “Our service continues to be very busy and currently there is an extended wait time for birth registration appointments.

“You may wish to contact another registration office first who might be able to offer you an earlier appointment to register your baby at this time.”

Calls are being made to increase the number of appointments available to new parents within the Glasgow aree.

Johnstone said: “This is a basic council service and one that new parents should be able to rely on.

“Parents have a legal responsibility to register their baby’s birth within 21 days, yet the council cannot guarantee them an appointment within that period.

“What makes this worse is that the outgoing convenor couldn’t even tell us how long this has been happening.

“Parents should not be put in the impossible position of being expected to meet a legal deadline when their own council cannot provide the appointment they need to do so.

“This is another example of the basics simply not working in Glasgow. The council needs to urgently clear the backlog, ensure appointments are available within the required timeframe and explain how this situation was allowed to develop.”

What has Glasgow City Council said?

A council spokesperson said: “As Scotland’s largest local authority, Glasgow deals with a particularly high volume of registrations and enquiries. This has created additional demand on the service, and while we are not currently meeting the statutory registration timeframe in all cases, we are actively working to address these challenges, increase capacity, and improve appointment availability as quickly as possible.

“When a baby is born in Scotland, the birth can be registered anywhere in the country, regardless of where the family lives or where the birth takes place.

“We offer remote registration which many parents find more convenient than attending an in-person appointment, particularly if their own local authority doesn’t provide a remote option.

“Alongside this flexibility, families will often choose whichever service can offer the earliest suitable appointment, making Glasgow an attractive option for parents registering a birth.

“The Glasgow Registration Service also supplies birth cards to the two major maternity hospitals in the area. These cards include general information about birth registration as well as our contact details, which naturally directs many families to our service.”