Extending key initiative will be good for citizens

LATE last year the City Administration funded the Welcome Places programme, a network of more than 30 council and community venues offering residents access to warmth, comfort and assistance in the face of the cost- of- living and energy crises.

In December I saw first- hand the work being delivered in our neighbourhoods by community and third sector groups and the council to keep people warm, secure and supported.

These are hugely difficult months in the most challenging circumstances many of our citizens have experienced for decades. And even though we experienced those record sub- zero temperatures before Christmas, the reality is that winter has barely begun.

It had been our intention to ensure that Welcome Places operated throughout January and February. But I’m glad that in recent days we’ve secured the resources to extend them until the end of March.

As all of us familiar with Scotland’s climate are all too aware, our weather doesn’t instantly improve with a changing of the seasons. We only have to look back a few years to the Beast from the East to see how severe March can be.

Welcome Places has been an emergency response to a deepening crisis, a brand new service aimed at getting assistance out there and getting it out quickly.

Since the roll- out began, the council and our partners have learned a lot as the different Welcome Places have experimented with different uses of their dedicated funding. It’s clear that some approaches are working better than others but all of us will continue to learn and improve.

Crucially, there really mustn’t be any stigma attached to using a Welcome Place. No- one is asked why they’ve come along. And that’s also a reason why venues like libraries have a key role.

But all of us, as councillors, members of the public, community activists, partner organisations and the media, have a role in making sure as many Glaswegians as possible know there is a Welcome Place for them should they need it in the months ahead.