Hundreds took to the streets of Govanhill with a protest march held to highlight the area's decline and 'lack of action' by Glasgow City Council.

 

The protesters met in Govanhill Park yesterday afternoon before marching along Calder Street, through Pollokshaws Road and along Alison Street.

The march came to a brief stop outside First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's constituency office for a petition to be handed in.

It was in protest at Govanhill's continuing decline and social issues of crime, rubbish dumping, rat infestations and general upkeep.

Fiona Jordan, one of the event's organisers, said: "The reason for the petition and the march is essentially as a vote of no confidence in Glasgow City Council to keep us safe and for the people of Govanhill to live in a safe, clean environment.

"In 2008 the politicians came to Govanhill and they promised us they would deal with poor housing and the levels of crime. They have failed the people of Govanhill."

Men, women, and children chanted 'let's save Govanhill' as they marched through the streets, banging pots and pans to attract as much attention as possible.

Mark McBride, 39, a resident and protester, said: "People are complaining about bed bugs, cockroaches, rats and the levels of crime. It was in my close that a girl was raped, and then a couple of weeks later there was another rape right across the road.

"The council need to stop cutting all the services for this area, and they need to start listening to our concerns. With the petition and the march hopefully the powers that be will do something about this."

Joseph Lily, 53, a protester who has lived in Govanhill his entire life, said: "We are frightened to walk out at night. I got mugged last year and thrown to the ground. I had my head split open and £30 stolen from me. This used to be a high amenity area and now we are prisoners in our homes."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon came out to greet the protesters yesterday and receive the petition.

She said: 'Govanhill has well documented challenges and my job as the local MSP is to solve those challenges.

"There is a lot of investment going into housing, into cleansing, into community safety but there is work still to do. Today's march and petition will help make sure that we drive that progress further forward even faster."

A council spokesman said: “Significant, extra resources have been dedicated to Govanhill in recent years.

“Substantial sums have been invested in the housing stock and there has been a huge effort to address problems with waste and fly tipping.

“We have dedicated teams working in Govanhill every day of the week to collect bulk items, empty bins, clean the streets, deal with insect infestations and provide a rapid response to other cleansing issues.

“Unfortunately difficulties are caused when people do not uphold their responsibility to put rubbish in bins or fail to contact the council when they put a bulk item out for collection.

“We need everyone in the area to play their part in helping to improve Govanhill.

“One of the fundamental issues for Govanhill has been the way private property is managed.

“However, a £9.3million plan has now been agreed that will enable Govanhill Housing Association to buy-up property in the area’s four most problematic blocks and ensure these properties are factored effectively.

“By taking a long term approach we aim to bring lasting change to the area.”