GOVERNMENT ‘social engineering’ policies are partly to blame for the so called Glasgow effect academic researchers have argued.

The Glasgow Centre for Population Health has issued a report showing that a focus on promoting new towns and relocating industry and skilled workers out form the city was a factor in leaving the population vulnerable to increasing poverty.

The report states that compared to similar English cities of Manchester and Liverpool, Glasgow has a higher early death rate that can be explained by socio economic problems.

It argues the weak city response also exacerbated the problem and “gentrification” and lack of housing investment left Glasgow in a worse position than comparable cities.

The report states the Scottish Office New Town programme from the 1950s onwards diverted resources from Glasgow

It stated: “These other areas became the key priority in terms of investment, and this policy was extended and expedited over the ensuing decades despite awareness of the negative consequences (both socioeconomic and also ultimately health-related) for Glasgow.”

Glasgow, it stated, differed from Manchester and Liverpool in having a larger slum clearance programme and more poorer quality inner city housing estates with greater emphasis on high rise developments.

It added, Glasgow had: “Crucially, much lower per capita investment in housing repairs and maintenance of the public housing stock.”

It said while Manchester’s response was to slow the changes and Liverpool’s to oppose them Glasgow prioritised “inner-city gentrification” and commercial development potentially exacerbated the damaging impacts of UK policy on what was already a vulnerable population.”