It's election day today in Southside Central!
Inside this newsletter you'll find everything you need to know about the local council election today, alongside all the latest stories on our website from this past week...
Are you ready to use your vote? If not we have put together a complete voter guide, available here 👇
Voter guide for Glasgow Southside Central: Your questions answered by candidates
In the guide you'll find the set of 12 questions put together by our team following both online and in-person surveys to determine what issues mattered the most to our community:
We created the following set of questions…
How will you protect essential services from further cuts and fight for Govanhill to ensure it benefits from the increase in council tax?
Many Govanhill residents have told us they want more social housing. What is your stance on this, and how will you approach this issue if you are elected?
Rogue landlords are a real problem in this area. What action will you take to address this issue to improve housing standards in the private renting sector?
Overflowing bins and fly-tipping are major concerns. How will you tackle waste management and pest control in the area?
In the face of rising political polarisation and an emboldened far-right, what work will your party do to strengthen community cohesion in such a diverse area?
What steps would your party take to tackle illegal and double parking in Govanhill – and more generally to make our streets safer for disabled and vulnerable people?
Do you support the creation of a publicly-owned bus company for Greater Glasgow and a unified, oyster-card style payment system for public transport?
Given the unfit state of many of the areas play parks, what will you do to ensure parks are better maintained?
In what ways will you ensure the rights of LGBTQ+ communities? In particular, do you support trans rights? And if so, what will you do to protect them amidst growing transphobia?
What will you do to ensure migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Glasgow are welcomed into the city and given support to settle and integrate?
How will you work with local police and the community to address crime and safety concerns effectively?
What plans do you have to support local businesses? How will you create more job opportunities in the area?
You will also find a complete list of the candidates standing in the Southside central ward this council by-election.
The candidates in Glasgow Southside Central…
Nicholas Allan Budgen – Liberal Democrats
Mhairi Hunter – Scottish National Party
Olivia Murphy – Scottish Socialist Party
Travis Power – UKIP
Danny Raja – Reform UK
Kyle Park – Conservative & Unionist Party
Samina Rashid – Scottish Labour Party
Laura Vroomen – Scottish Greens
And, more importantly, you'll get to read the responses of the 6 candidates who got back to us...and find out who didn't 👀
Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm today.
You don’t need your poll card or any form of ID. You just need to provide your name and address.
And you must have registered to vote already or you can no longer exercise your right to use it this election.
To all those heading to the polls, choose wisely, and check out our guide beforehand if you're still unsure ✊🗳️
Want to know more? Here’s all our local election coverage…
Explained: Glasgow By-Elections 2025 in the Southside Central Ward
Glasgow City Council by-elections will be held on 20 March 2025. Read on to find out who can vote, how the counting works, who is standing for election in Govanhill and the Southside Central ward. Read More
Help us shape a Citizens Agenda: What do you want council candidates to be talking about?
Help us to build a citizens agenda: have your say and tell us what issues candidates should be addressing during the by-election campaign in Southside Central ward. Read More
Mhairi Hunter announced as SNP candidate in Southside Central by-election
We caught up with Mhairi Hunter after she was announced as the SNP candidate for the Southside Central ward by-election, triggered by the death of Labour’s James Scanlon. The Glasgow City Council by-election date is yet to be set. Read More
Laura Vroomen announced as Green candidate in Southside Central by-election
We caught up with Laura Vroomen after she was announced as the Green candidate for the Southside Central ward by-election, triggered by the death of Labour’s James Scanlon. The Glasgow City Council by-election has been set for 20 March. Read More
Latest from our website…
Meet Shahid Choudhary, local Govanhill printshop owner and trailblazing mountaineer
“Exploring Scotland’s outdoors allows you to connect with nature in a way you can’t truly understand until you experience it yourself. Every time I’m in the mountains, I feel a deep sense of peace, leaving behind stress and worries.” –Shahid Chounhary Read More
Melting Pot: Communal cooking and climate conversations at The Hidden Gardens
Community, climate and creativity come together in Govanhill’s new sustainability focused event at The Hidden Gardens. Local groups united over shared meals and goals to tackle climate risks in Glasgow’s first Net Zero Neighbourhood. Read More
Bin Hubs Better? Residents Have Their Say on City Council Trial
On-street bin hubs bring cleaner back courts, but, as the council gears up to expand the scheme, questions of flytipping and fairness remain. Read More
From our Community Noticeboard…
Factoring in Tenement Retrofit: A toolkit for property factors is now live!
Are you a tenement owner? A property factor? Want to join in the retrofit boom but not sure how to navigate it? Check out this toolkit by Strathclyde University and under One Roof for property owners living in shared tenement buildings and start your retrofit journey now. Read More
Govanhill Community Litterpick returns this spring
Event Date: 29/03/2025
Location: Govanhill Free Church, Belleisle St, Glasgow G42 8HJ
Event Details: Gather at 10.30am for safety briefing, then begin the litterpick at 11am. Have a light lunch from 12 midday. Please bring gardening type gloves if you have them. All other kit will be provided.
Find them on insta at @govanhill_litterpick or on Facebook to keep up to date with plans for the day
For more information about this event please contact: kapercaillie@yahoo.co.uk