BATTLE FOR SEATS IN GOVAN AND SOUTH WEST
Residents give their views on the area ahead of next week’s council elections
TOURISTS and visitors are coming to Govan as the traditionally workingclass area is changing. Local people have noticed a change in the area in recent years.
In Govan Cross around the Pierce Institute and at Harmony Row, locals born and bred are looking ahead with hope to better times.
Rose Fitzpatrick said she was born and raised in the area, left and has now returned in her senior years.
She joked: “I’m like the old elephant returning home to die.” She has seen a change.
Rose added: “The Govan stones in the church are bringing tourists. It is getting better. The new shop fronts look great.”
Across in the community pantry, coordinator Rosalyn Macmillan praised the resilience of the community.
She said: “It has a great community spirit. It is more diverse than it used to be and that spirit is still there.
“It is changing, I think for the better. It is still a deprived area with poverty and many social issues. But it is improving and people are coming here, the new bridge from Partick will also help.”
Outside the pantry, James is on his way in.
He said there are failings here the way there are failings all over society.
Schools need to improve and funding for community facilities for children has been cut. A lot of money is spent on improving paths and pavements and then there’s litter everywhere.”
James is clear who is to blame for the litter problem.
He said: “There is litter because people are dropping it.”
The historic Glasgow neighbourhood is synonymous with political battles between Labour and the SNP over the years.
From Margo Macdonald in the 1970s and Jim Sillars in the 1980s, winning by-elections only to lose the seat at the next election, to Nicola Sturgeon defeating Gordon Jackson at the third attempt to finally take the Holyrood seat in 2007, it has provided close-fought contests.
Govan takes in the south west of the city from Tradeston to Shieldhall, including Kinning Park, Cessnock, Ibrox and Drumoyne from the River Clyde to the north to the M8 to the south.
At the council, the SNP have had the upper hand in the most recent vote.
Four councillors will be elected in Govan. In 2017, Labour’s John Kane took the most first preference votes.
The SNP stood three candidates, splitting the early stages of the complicated counting process.
But after all the votes had been counted, with surplus and transferable votes allocated, the SNP took two of the remaining three seats and the Greens one.
The Greens’ Allan Young edged out the Conservatives for the final seat by around 70 votes late in the counting process.
This time the SNP is again standing three candidates; city treasurer Ricky Bell, Stephen Dornan, a former Labour councillor, and Funmi Fajemiseye, all looking to win enough across the city to win a majority.
Labour are putting up two candidates, Imran Alam and Ruth Hall.
The Greens, LibDems, Conservatives, Alba and the Scottish Socialist Party are also standing, as is John Flanagan as an independent candidate.
Across the South west there are battles with all four parties at the council looking to hold and win seats.
Greater Pollok covers Pollok, Crookston, Househillwood, Nitshill, Priesthill, Darnley Southpark Village and
Deaconsbank. Four councillors will be elected and Labour and the SNP are standing two candidates each.
As well as the Conservatives, LibDems and Greens, the Scottish Trade Union and Socialist Alliance, UKIP, Alba, Scottish Family Party are contesting the election.
In 2017, the SNP deputy group leader David McDonald was top on first preference votes.
The party won two seats with Rhiannon Spear taking the other, with Labour also taking two seats with Saqeb Ahmed and Rashid Hussain elected.
Ahned and Hussain are again standing for Labour, while the two SNP councillors are not seeking re-election and are replaced by Roza Salih, one of the celebrated Glasgow Girls anti-dawn raid campaigners from 2005 and William Graham.
Cardonald takes in Mosspark, Corkerhill and Penilee.
It elected two Labour, Matt Kerr and Jim Kavanagh, and two SNP, Alex Wilson and Elaine McSporran, last time and all four are standing again, looking to be re-elected.
Also standing are the Conservatives, LibDems and Greens with the Social Democratic Party and Alba looking to pick up votes.
In Pollokshields, four councillors will be elected.
In 2017, the SNP, Labour, the Tories and Greens all won a seat each.
All are candidates again with Norman Macleod, SNP, David Meikle, Conservatives, Hanif Raja and Jon Molyneux of the Greens, all looking to retain their seats.
The SNP and Labour are standing two this time and each will hope to take out either the Greens or the Tories.
There is litter because people are dropping it