CATHCART’S ELECTORAL LINE-UP
Area’s support groups and businesses on key issues
ONLY Nicola Sturgeon won a Glasgow seat at Holyrood with a larger majority than James Dornan five years ago. The SNP candidate picked up 9390 more votes than his nearest rival – Labour’s Soryia Siddique – as his party took all eight city constituencies.
He announced plans to step down last year but reversed his decision in July, and will now seek to add to his 10 years in the role.
Aiming to replace him are Craig Carson, Euan Blockley and Joe McCauley.
Carson, a primary school teacher, is Labour’s hope in Cathcart as the party tries to take back seats in the city.
The LibDems have selected McCauley, a former Labour member who was the election agent for Siddique at the last election.
Left “politically homeless” during Jeremy Corbyn’s time as Labour leader, he was attracted to the LibDems due to the party’s opposition to Brexit.
Blockley, a city councillor for the Linn ward, is the Tory candidate.
Glasgow Cathcart stretches from Pollok Country Park to Cathkin Braes, from Carnwadric to Carmunnock, and has the White Cart Water weaving through.
Dornan’s office is on Clarkston Road, Cathcart, in the centre of a constituency which also includes Pollokshaws, Castlemilk, King’s Park, Langside, Mount Florida and part of Shawlands.
In Battlefield, Marco Giannasi is preparing to reopen his restaurant after a tough year of Covid-19 restrictions.
For more than 25 years, he has owned the Battlefield Rest, a former tram shelter, on Battlefield Road.
Behind his bistro, the former Victoria Infirmary is being transformed into flats.
Marco has been serving takeaways, through a hatch, for the past four months.
He has managed to retain his staff, using the furlough scheme, and is hoping to make the most of the restaurant’s outdoor area from
April 26. “Hopefully stay dry,” he said.
When his doors reopen, he will be trying to recuperate the money lost over the past year – but believes that could take “well over a year”.
“For businesses that started in a weak position, with no funding behind – perhaps new businesses – that’s going to be a struggle,” he said.
He spent six months “panicking” after an original grant application was turned down due to an increase in the rateable value of the restaurant.
However, he has since secured funding and said the government has “done as much as any”. In Italy, there has been “half of what is done here”, he added.
Marco believes governments should look again “in three to six months to see what different industries need now” to see “where it’s going to we stand and whether we need any further help”.
He has noticed changes to Battlefield in recent months, with small businesses opening. There is a “buzz” around.
“Some businesses will lose out because of the pandemic and others will grow,” he said.
The serving hatch has become his “wee confessional pew”, where he has built a relationship with customers during lockdown.
There is a “spirit of hope”, he said, people are “missing interaction with humans” and eager for a “wee chat and a glass of wine”.
Over in Castlemilk, constituents are also dealing with the impact of the pandemic.
Parts of the area are ranked among the most deprived in Scotland, and Angela Molloy, the manager at Castlemilk Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), has been trying to
They’re building new houses and there’s nothing in place
help people deal with issues exacerbated by Covid-19.
Between April last year and last month, the bureau worked with more than 1300 clients, most by phone after offices were forced to close.
“Most of things we saw at the beginning were about furlough and redundancy,” she said.
“Food banks as well, we had a higher number of referrals.”
Digital inclusion has been a big issue, she said, particularly among elderly people, who would often pay bills in person.
Data protection rules often prevented CAB staff from helping people directly. It has been “very stressful” for the community, she said.
The reintroduction of benefit sanctions in July has also been a problem, Angela said, adding: “We’re still in this pandemic.”
People’s benefits can be docked if they do not follow government rules, such as failing to look for work.
The CAB also faced closure during the pandemic, when it was revealed some city advice centres would miss out on council funding.
Following protests, funding, although reduced, was found, which will help keep the centre running.
People in Castlemilk need support, Angela said: “They’re building new houses and there’s nothing in place.”
Those on benefits have to pay for transport to travel to a supermarket, she added, as the shopping centre only has a B&M and Iceland, where they can’t get fresh food.
Constituents across Cathcart will have their own priorities heading into this election; issues they believe need to be addressed. Next month, they will get their say.