Tourist tax call over glasshouse
Tourist tax could help People’s Palace and Winter Gardens
A TOURIST tax would be supported by a Glasgow MP in a bid to prevent the Winter Gardens falling into a state of disrepair from which it may never recover.
Paul Sweeney said the city must act following the shock news that the People’s Palace and linked glasshouse are to close.
He has called on the council for a “robust programme” of maintenance.
GLASGOW must act before the Winter Gardens falls in to a state of disrepair it will not recover from.
MP Paul Sweeney has called for Glasgow City Council to arrange a “robust programme” of maintenance for all of the city’s historic glasshouses.
But the politician also says it is time Glasgow had a serious conversation about how to fund our civic amenities – even if that means a tourist tax. Mr Sweeney works with Springburn Winter Gardens Trust in support of the work to restore the decayed Victorian structure.
He said glasshouses require dedicated maintenance to ensure their integrity and Glasgow must step up to protect its heritage.
Mr Sweeney said: “This has been a timebomb.
“The Land and Environmental Services (LES) budget for parks has been slashed to 10 per cent of the total budget since 2011.
“The budget for parks has been the path of least resistance to cut and glasshouses across the city have suffered the effects of that.
“The city council must develop an ongoing robust strategy of maintenance that provides a bespoke programme of maintenance for our glasshouses.”
Springburn Winter Gardens Trust has been working to restore the north Glasgow winter gardens since a major campaign in 2013. In 2001 Tollcross Winter Gardens was given money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to repair its glasshouse but it has since fallen back into a state of disrepair.
Mr Sweeney added: “The Heritage Lottery Fund can’t be happy that the city hasn’t maintained it and it has made the case for Springburn Winter Gardens very hard.
“We have been trying to take quite a novel approach at Springburn, looking at things such as whether the structure needs to be done to the exact specifications or can we use modern technology that will make it easier to maintain?”
The Evening Times told on Wednesday how the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens on Glasgow Green are to shut at the end of the year due to concerns for public safety.
It could cost up to £7 million to bring the glasshouse back up to an acceptable level of safety.
Concerns mainly surround the Winter Gardens, which were opened in 1898, but as a fire escape from the People’s Palace requires access to the glasshouse, it will also have to close.
Mr Sweeney points to other cities such as Manchester, where funding for the People’s History Museum comes from a variety of sources, rather than simply the local council.
Trades unions and
government support the museum and the MP said it is time for discussions about how Glasgow pays for its museums.
He said: “When the Winter Gardens was built labour was cheap and you could employ many people to look after it.
“They are delicate structures and maintenance can be quite tricky and labour intensive.
“It was built in an era of total Victoria pomp, an era in Glasgow that was reflective of the city’s wealth. I don’t think people will perambulate around glasshouses looking at tropical plants as a pastime in the way they once did.
“But the Winter Gardens is unusual in that it includes a
‘‘ We have found ourselves in a ruinous situtation
great people’s history museum and that in itself asks the wider question of how it is funded and why the city is responsible for funding it. We must have a wider discussion of funding and yes, I would support a tourist tax for Glasgow.
“The situation with the Winter Gardens throws up a need for a much broader discussion about where funding comes from. We have found ourselves as a city in a ruinous situation due to a terminal shortage of funds.”
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council repeated a statement from earlier in the week, saying work is underway to plan a future for the building. He said: “The aim is to secure a sustainable, longterm future for an iconic building in one of the city’s most loved spaces.
“A full report of the plans will be submitted to elected members and the relevant committee in due course.”
Scottish Labour has launched a petition against the proposed closure of the Glasgow Winter Gardens. Despite the maintenance of the facility having been under the control of the Labour-led city administration just 18 months ago, former council leader Frank McAveety criticised the council.
Mr McAveety said: “People across Glasgow are dismayed at the news that the SNP-run council is set to close the iconic Winter Gardens, putting the future of the People’s Palace in serious jeopardy as well.
“This is the price of years of the SNP government in Edinburgh chronically underfunding the city, with local government budgets across Scotland slashed by £1.5 billion since 2011.
“Glasgow’s people should not be evicted from their Palace because SNP councillors are too timid to demand Nicola Sturgeon properly funds local services. The People’s Palace and the Winter Gardens cannot be allowed to close indefinitely. It’s time the SNP used the powers they have and fund local government properly.”