Residents want to see more action from council

JOHN, 71, : “We pay a substantial amount of council tax but we do not see the return from it.

“We waited three weeks to have rubbish lifted from outside our house.

“The rubbish outside is dangerous for kids and the bin services are atrocious.

“The disposal system is not good enough, what they charge us in council tax does not reflect what we get in services.

“The best thing about the area is the senior centre, it provides a communal area for elderly people.” KIRSTY, 27, Castlemilk: “The youth complex needs funding, over the last year the funding for the youth centre has been cut dramatically and it is struggling.

“The kids are more than willing to go, but we can’t get them to stay if we have nothing to provide.

“The streets and the parks need cleaned up, the footpaths need updated, resurfaced and cleaned.

“More seating needed in local areas and more swing parks needed for the children. Better policing and security.”

TAKING in some of the most deprived areas in the city, the Linn ward covers Castlemilk and surrounding communities.

Residents speak highly of the community spirit in the area, forged mainly out of adversity as they see many problems in their daily lives.

It also includes the more affluent Kings Park and Muirend with a high home ownership and where unemployment is low.

A four-member council ward, in 2012 it elected two Labour, one SNP and the only LibDem councillor in the city.

In Castlemilk, perched on the edge of the city, people can feel cut off and a lack of facilities is acutely felt .

he wTard has a higher than average unemployment rate and Castlemilk where much of the joblessness exists faces the loss of its Jobcentre under UK Government proposals.

Melanie O’Donnell is manager of Castlemilk Senior Centre, where many members have witnessed the changes in the community over a number of years.

She sees the issues faced by residents and what they think needs to change and she has a ready list of concerns.

Ms O’Donnell said: “Transport links needs to be improved, members rely upon the busses provided by the centre to get around.

“Community policing is terrible, the local police are never contactable. Police presence in the area needs to be improved.

“Most of the members who attend the centre do not leave their house at night because of the danger.”

Castlemilk has become home to many immigrants and Asylum Seekers changing the demographic makeup of the area and challenging local resources.

Ms O’Donnell said: “A bridge needs to be created between locals and immigrants. Particularly the elderly who do not accept or understand foreigners.”

Around half of the housing in the Linn ward is social rented, much of it in Castlemilk from housing associations and there are many community based associations.

Ms O’Donnell added: “There are six or seven housing associations in Castlemilk and they need to integrate with each other or liaise with each other about the people living in their areas.

“Street lighting in and around Castlemilk is poor, the areas need to be lighted up better, it gets very dark around here at night which keeps people indoors scared to go out.

“The litter and dog mess, there aren’t enough bins for people to keep the area clean in the first place.”

Ms O’Donnell’s message to councillors on behalf of her members was to get involved with the community more.

She added: “Our local councillors provide help when needed but they could be present a bit more and speak to their community, people want to see them.” SUZANNA and Bernado both 35: “Bernado said: “We are from Portugal and have lived in Castlemilk two years.

“The people in this area are not ready for immigration.

“Many of them are racist and violent towards us.

“The GHA housing has been very helpful in getting us somewhere to live but the people we live near call us names.

“Our seven year-old daughter gets bullied at school, has had to move schools several times.” GERALD Grant, 51, has lived in Castlemilk for seven years: “There needs to be more seats in and around the shopping centre for the elderly and disabled.

“There needs to be better security and policing.

“The older community here are great but the young ones are bored and cause trouble.

“Better shops in local areas, we are limited to what we can buy here and the shops out and around the housing schemes are few and far between. Yes I will be voting.”