Glasgow’s newest councillor John Carson has pledged to hold the SNP to account over "the state of the city" - and believes there is growing support among residents for Labour.
Cllr Carson, a postman, has been balancing his Royal Mail shifts with campaigning for a seat in the ward where he has lived for nearly all of his life.
The 28-year-old, a Communication Workers Union (CWU) rep, has also been heavily involved in recent postal strikes, and is a member of the union’s national executive.
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He has pledged to “fight the corner” for the Linn community.
“What is really happening right now is Glasgow disproportionately suffers from cuts,” he said. “The solution the SNP seems to have is that local communities are going to compete with each other for resources. The thing is everyone is paying their council tax, they are all entitled to equal treatment.
“We need to be there to hold them to account for how they’re governing.”
A by-election was called in the Linn ward after the death of former Glasgow Labour group leader Malcolm Cunning.
“Malcolm was a local Labour stalwart, very dedicated to the area and public service,” Cllr Carson. “As somebody who has lived in the area and obviously was a Labour member, I saw that firsthand.”
The new councillor said he has “very strong public service values” and wants to give “back to the community that I grew up in and has given so much to me”.
“I think the key thing is going to be holding the SNP council to account for the state of the city, for proper investment in the city and to focus on the real issues,” he said. “You look at cleansing services, your roads, lighting, all that kind of stuff.”
Campaigning during recent wet weather has been a “good long slog”, Cllr Carson said, but his spirits have been lifted by the residents he has met.
“It was challenging for myself as well because I would be doing the delivery shifts for Royal Mail in the first half of the day, then coming home, getting a shower, having a bite to eat, then you’re going back out to chap doors.
“It’s a difficult thing, but you go out and speak to people and you get a real boost. Labour’s definitely gone through a very difficult and challenging period.
“We’re definitely moving away from that now, people are far more receptive. They’ve tried out the other parties and they are now starting to come back to Labour.
“That’s really positive to see but at the same time we’ve had to work really hard for it. We’re not picking these things up on the default, we really are having to put in a shift and that’s proven in the result.”
Cllr Soryia Siddique, the Labour group’s deputy leader, said she was delighted Cllr Carson had been elected. “The communities of Linn have put their faith in Cllr Carson, a community champion with a strong track record.
“He is a welcome addition to the Glasgow Labour group. Thanks to Team Labour, including my group colleagues, for an excellent campaign.”
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