A new high school, upgraded parks and tackling derelict land are just three priorities for the Springburn and Robroyston ward candidates as the council election looms in Glasgow.
Mum and Labour candidate Audrey Dempsey who set up a charity to fight poverty and grew up in Barmulloch said the area is a “shadow” of what it used to be. Find out what every candidate standing in the ward aims to bring to the area as they fight to become one of four politicians elected to the council. We contacted them to find out.
Areas covered by the ward include Springburn, Barmulloch, Balornock and Robroyston.
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Since 2017 two Labour councillors, Martin McElroy, and Aileen McKenzie, and two SNP councillors Graham Campbell and Christina Cannon have been representing the area. Mr McElroy and Ms McKenzie are not standing again in the ward for election while Mr Campbell and Christina Cannon are fighting to retain their seats.
Who won last time?
In 2017 Mr McElroy won the highest number of total votes (2,080) with a 31 per cent share of first preference votes. Mr Campbell got 1,323 votes altogether, snatching 20 per cent of first preference votes. Ms Cannon won a total of 1,619 votes while Ms McKenzie claimed 1,328.
- Martin McElroy, Labour, 2,080 total votes (31.64% first preference)
- Graham Campbell, SNP, 1,323 total votes (20.13% first preference)
- Christina Cannon, SNP, 1,619 total votes (15.41% first preference)
- Aileen McKenzie, Labour, 1,328 total votes (8.05% first preference)
Who can I vote for this time?
Audrey Dempsey, Labour
Audrey Dempsey founder of a family support charity, wants to upgrade the parks in the area, improve resources and make it “safe, welcoming place” again.
The mum and gran from Barmulloch established Glasgow’s No1 Baby and Family Support Service, which has helped more than 21,000 people in poverty.
Former addiction worker Mrs Dempsey said: “I've grown up in Barmulloch with my brother and sisters and raised my own family there too and it is a shadow of what it used to be.
“My motto is that a crumpled tenner is no less valuable than a neat tenner and as humans we should look at each other the same. Glasgow as a whole needs to change drastically and if people have a wee bit of faith and vote to give us the chance to make that change, I vow to work my socks off and make it happen.
"My family were always active in the community with my sister having a huge dance school and my brother running football clubs but sadly we have lost them both now so I am on a mission to keep that tradition going of making change for the greater good.”
Christina Cannon, SNP
Christina Cannon who was born and brought up in the north of Glasgow said she played a key part in helping to secure the demolition of the derelict Talisman Pub which had been a blight on the neighbourhood for decades. She also campaigned against the removal of the 19A bus service.
Ms Cannon said: “If re-elected, my priorities would be to continue working with community groups to assist the regeneration of Springburn, tackle vacant and derelict land in Barmulloch and Balornock, fight for a bus service that is fit for purpose to serve residents in Robroyston and ensure our schools are safe for pupils through car free zones or other appropriate initiatives as I know this is a massive issue in primary schools across the ward.
"I know how important local services & our green spaces are in Springburn/Robroyston, so I want to devolve as much money & resources to local communities as possible so they can spend the money on what matters most to them - real community empowerment in action.”
Farah Hamid, Alba
Former Home Office worker Farah Hamid said: “The key issues I intend to focus on are aligned with poverty and welfare, both of which are needing a real push.
“My desire to be a councillor is aligned with my observations of poverty and deprivation are rife and I think we can do better for those affected.”
Richard Johnson, Conservative
Richard Johnson, who works for a Scottish MSP, hopes to fight for a fair funding deal for Glasgow. The Yorkshire man by birth said he “moved to Glasgow for love” and has “never looked back since.”
Mr Johnson said the Glasgow City Council 2022 to 2023 budget saw “another cut passed down from the Scottish Government, with a staggering £19 million cut just this year.”
He said there have been “massive cuts” to cleansing services, an ill thought out bulk uplift charge, which has contributed to fly tipping, and bin collections have been moved onto a tri-weekly cycle.
Calling for change, he said: “This cannot go on.”
He said Glagsow Conservatives “have a fully costed five-point plan to clean up Glasgow, including restoring the fortnightly bin collection, scrapping the bulk uplift charge good and investing £10 million into frontline cleansing services throughout the council term.”
Madeleine Guthrie, Scottish Greens
Madeleine Guthrie, who has lived in Springburn all her life, wants Glasgow to be greener and fairer with more drastic action on climate change.
She said: “That includes more retrofitting for housing, tackling waste problems across the ward, and better use for our land – for example I support the bench project designed by the Springburn Youth Forum. It’s a great initiative which shows the way communities can come together to tackle derelict land and we should be doing more to support such causes.”
Ms Guthrie also demands more action on the cost of living crisis. She said: “I know people who have been firefighting the cost of living crisis in places like the Springburn Community Hub, and it’s been great to have such community-led responses. But we need urgent support from the council to help people directly in this cost of living crisis, and this is what the Greens will demand for. Investment now, and for the long term, in our people and community spaces.”
Thomas Rannachan, Labour
Business manager Thomas Rannachan said his company is a ‘Glasgow Living Wage’ employer and gives opportunities to the unemployed and students to get into work. He volunteers as an advisor on careers, debt management. benefits assistance and other matters in the community.
The former civil servant said: “There are many issues affecting the ward which can be found city wide however, a new school in the Robroyston area is of particular need, as well as safe upgrading and repairing of kids play facilities as highlighted by a constituent only last week.
"Also, now that we are out of the pandemic, our local support groups and the various community organisations require greater council support to enable them to get fully back on track and properly engage with their service users again by being able to provide full programmes and receive funding to fill the gaps they've identified following lockdown, without having to compete with each other.”
Graham Campbell, SNP
Cultural producer, musician and dub poet Graham Campbell was elected as Glasgow’s first African Caribbean Councillor in 2017. According to the council website: “He has a strong interest in supporting care-experienced young people, trade union rights, community empowerment, protecting cultural heritage, protecting refugee and migrant communities and housing issues including protecting tenants from slum landlords.”
Mr Campbell is a regular public speaker on Black Politics, African Caribbean History and Public Affairs. He is Project Leader of 'Flag Up Scotland Jamaica' a twinning exchange project formed during the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Peter Davies, Scottish Liberal Democrats
The party said it would reverse council cuts to essential services, increase the rate of bin collection in tenements areas and from public wastebins, remove the bulk uplift charge, and reopen the libraries and sports grounds.
It also said it would “introduce a a rapid response unit to address public concerns on potholes, street parking, street lighting and litter.” It also pledges to improve housing provision and reverse cuts to public transport.
