HUNDREDS of people have gathered in Glasgow city centre to oppose the continued closure of Glasgow Life venues. 

Thye have gathered at Cathdral Square to fight to re-open dozens of ‘crucial’ public facilities in the city.

Organiser Jim Monaghan, from Glasgow Against Closures, previously said all Glasgow Life venues are vital to the city and should be reopened.

“They are absolutely crucial,” he said.

“The problem we have right now is we have a situation where museums, galleries, libraries, sports facilities are treated as an optional extra.”

READ MOREGlasgow Against Closures group to march with unions this weekend

Glasgow Life is the arms-length body running leisure and culture venues for the city council. It lost £38m as a result of Covid-19 restrictions, which forced venues to close.

Around 80 facilities remain closed however, after a £100m guarantee from the council allowed 90 to reopen. The Glasgow Times launched our Save Our Venues campaign to oppose the decision. 

Mr Monaghan said the closed services are a critical part of what we have a council for.

“Without libraries, social work is a lot harder,” he said.

“Without sports facilities, health is a lot harder. Without museums, education is a lot harder.”

Glasgow Against Closures will be joined by local campaign groups and trade unions for the protest.

They will walk from the closed St Mungo Museum to the People’s Palace, starting from Cathedral Square at 12.30pm.

The protest will follow a route along Castle Street, High Street, Trongate and Saltmarket, entering Glasgow Green via the McLennan Arch.

READ MORE: Save Our Venues: Glaswegians protest closures of city venues

 

Glasgow Times:

 

Glasgow Life has previously announced it plans to cut 500 jobs as a result of the closures.

The unions have sent a letter to all Glasgow’s MSPs and MPs asking them to use their influence to “win a better deal for our city”.

They have lodged a formal collective grievance over the potential job cuts at Glasgow Life and the ongoing closures.

Unison’s Brian Smith, on behalf of the joint trade unions, said: “Glasgow needs more investment, not less.

“The trade unions are calling for a proper plan to secure the financial future of all current Glasgow Life services and jobs.

“The city’s leisure and sport facilities, libraries and cultural venues are under immediate threat.”

Both the unions and Glasgow Against Closures want Glasgow Life to be taken back in-house by the council.

Mr Smith said: “In addition, Glasgow Life, in common with ALEOs across the country, is a flawed funding model.

“Glasgow City Council has admitted as much by bringing in-house its other ALEOs and should do the same with Glasgow Life.”