Very few of us could look around our city and fail to recognise the enormous transformation compared to even just two decades ago.  

It is a remarkable achievement, and one to which every single Glaswegian can lay claim.
A huge part of that transformation has been in tackling long-standing issues of deprivation and inequality that continue to beset our communities. 

In that fight – for fairness and dignity – the city has no greater friend and ally than the third sector.

In all of our communities, but especially those with greatest need, you can find a whole range of groups, clubs, networks and organisations that bring people together. Whether it’s getting justice for those affected by asbestos, or providing essential nursery places and community space, or empowering people by building confidence or learning new skills.

These organisations do fantastic work and without them our city would be a much poorer place.

That’s why it is heart-breaking to hear about those organisations that now stand to lose their funding because of a botched process. Organisations like KATS Sighthill, or Action on Asbestos, or dozens of others including in my own ward, who stand to lose vital income for minor mistakes – in part caused by a rushed process.

This SNP-run council has said much about how they will truly value the third sector and that they uniquely understand how to empower the third sector.

Yet, when it comes to one of their flagship initiatives – the new Glasgow Communities Fund – they’ve reversed decision after decision, have been forced to reissue important guidance after errors and generally managed to alienate those groups and organisations on which our city so much relies.

The SNP promised “a new deal for Glasgow’s communities based on true partnership and effective engagement”.

Yet, more than 100 organisations are going to lose out because of minor administrative errors. Where’s the sense of proportionality?  How on earth can this be fair?

The leader of the council has consistently recognised that the Sighthill housing development is a key driver of the city’s continued growth. Yet, the administration seems to sit by while a community organisation in the heart of that development is threatened with closure.

Organisations are already handing redundancy notices to their employees. Events are being cancelled. Support is being withdrawn. All because of the uncertainty caused by creating a new fund, with less money than before and without enough time to implement the new system properly and fairly.

If the SNP are serious about supporting the third sector and the valuable work that they do – and I sincerely hope that they are – then the leader of the council should step in now.

A solution can be found, and must be found, that gives all those organisations a fair chance. Otherwise, it will appear as if the SNP have created a deliberately punitive regime because they made a decision to cut the relevant budget and, if that is the case, the SNP should hang its head in shame.