Susan Aitken said Glasgow is not being cleaned up just for the COP 26 summit in November.
In the first two weeks of November world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, the Pope and the Queen, will be in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change summit.
Ahead of the summit, the state of Glasgow’s streets and its overall cleanliness has come under the spotlight.
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The Leader of Glasgow City Council was asked by Labour Group leader, Malcolm Cunning, “why she believes it is acceptable for the city’s streets to be cleaned for Joe Biden, but not Joe or Josephine Public?”
Councillor Aitken rejected the claim and said that there was a cleansing plan for COP but also a recovery plan for council services which included cleansing, which would last long after the world leaders had left.
Councillor Aitken said: “I don’t think that in the slightest. The streets should be clean for our own citizens and not just for events.
“We do have an operational plan for COP includes cleansing. For the last 18 months our services have been restricted for hygiene and sharing spaces.
“We are addressing it with more staff and new fleet and creating a new backshift., not just for COP but for all citizens. It will continue long after COP is over.
Councillor Cunning told her that public satisfaction for cleansing services had plummeted with less hat half of people happy with the service they receive.
He cited a council household survey which he said has found “Complete dissatisfaction”.
He said it found there was “48% satisfaction with cleansing down from 78% when this administration took over.”
Councillor Aitken said that was not a surprise.
She said: “I’m not enormously surprised people are expressing dissatisfaction.
“Over the last 18 months there has been an impact. We can’t pretend the last 18 months hasn’t happened.
“People are fed up with the impact of the pandemic they have had enough.”
She added there was a “process of recovery”.
She said: “It won’t happen overnight. It is about finding better solutions to longstanding challenges. I am confident residents will start to see that difference over the coming months.”
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