500 signatures reached
To: scottish government, glasgow city council
Restore Govanhill
Govanhill needs people to listen. Stop telling us how great the services and infrastructures are ,stop treating residents like they don't matter.
Recently I contacted the Scottish Government regarding the issues in Govanhill such as crime, infestations of rats,bedbugs and cockroaches, serious over crowding of both council and private lets with in some cases 14 plus people living in one bedroom accommodation. Many of the private lets are well below standard for safe living. The overcrowding and poverty levels mean many residents are resorting to rifling through other people's household waste for edible or saleable rubbish, this is outrageous in this day and age and causes multiple problems like mountains of festering waste discarded in back gardens. Glasgow city council's answer to this problem is to purchase problem blocks in the area effectively reducing the number of rogue landlords but how long exactly will this take? In the meantime there are little children living off the rotting contents of some unsuspecting persons refuse and residents whose back courts are so badly infested with rats that they keep pets indoors for their own safety. The last time govanhill was brought to the attention of Scottish parliament the Govanhill action plan was launched, the Govanhill partnership and trust were formed and all these services combined were responsible for bringing the living conditions in the area back to a decent standard. They failed us on that. The area is no different now as it was then, perhaps even worse but continuously we are told that problems are being addressed, and issues resolved. My response from scottish government was a rundown of existing services and a reply telling me everything is just great in Govanhill. Well as a member of the community, having lived my whole life in the area, I am telling you it is not great. It is filthy, crime is constant, refuse collection is weak, communication between community and authorities is strained at best, and people are fed up ,frustrated and angry. I put it out there that Alex Salmond, the first minister of Scotland must come to govanhill. Bypass the authorities with their rose tinted reports and tour the real sights with a long standing resident. Listen to the people living here and help them get rid of this ghetto and slum reputation the area now has.
Recently I contacted the Scottish Government regarding the issues in Govanhill such as crime, infestations of rats,bedbugs and cockroaches, serious over crowding of both council and private lets with in some cases 14 plus people living in one bedroom accommodation. Many of the private lets are well below standard for safe living. The overcrowding and poverty levels mean many residents are resorting to rifling through other people's household waste for edible or saleable rubbish, this is outrageous in this day and age and causes multiple problems like mountains of festering waste discarded in back gardens. Glasgow city council's answer to this problem is to purchase problem blocks in the area effectively reducing the number of rogue landlords but how long exactly will this take? In the meantime there are little children living off the rotting contents of some unsuspecting persons refuse and residents whose back courts are so badly infested with rats that they keep pets indoors for their own safety. The last time govanhill was brought to the attention of Scottish parliament the Govanhill action plan was launched, the Govanhill partnership and trust were formed and all these services combined were responsible for bringing the living conditions in the area back to a decent standard. They failed us on that. The area is no different now as it was then, perhaps even worse but continuously we are told that problems are being addressed, and issues resolved. My response from scottish government was a rundown of existing services and a reply telling me everything is just great in Govanhill. Well as a member of the community, having lived my whole life in the area, I am telling you it is not great. It is filthy, crime is constant, refuse collection is weak, communication between community and authorities is strained at best, and people are fed up ,frustrated and angry. I put it out there that Alex Salmond, the first minister of Scotland must come to govanhill. Bypass the authorities with their rose tinted reports and tour the real sights with a long standing resident. Listen to the people living here and help them get rid of this ghetto and slum reputation the area now has.
Why is this important?
This is important for govanhill residents health, dignity, peace of mind and well being. People need to feel safe in their homes and on the streets, they need to scrape back that pride in their community but it will never happen until the politicians admit the current structures do not work!
