A council chief has insisted Glasgow is a safer, cleaner city than it was before she took office.
Council leader Susan Aitken said she is "absolutely" proud of her record since taking the helm in 2017, when her party ended decades of Labour control in the city.
Councillor Aitken told STV: "I'm confident the city is in a better place than it was when I became leader in 2017.
"But I think I'm also confident that it's in a better place than it would have been were I not here, because all of these things would have happened anyway: Brexit, Covid, the cost of living crisis and international conflict.
"I think that we, as a city, have responded as effectively as we can to a lot of those challenges."
Read more
-
Fight to save much-loved Glasgow park attraction goes to Holyrood
-
Princess Royal to become inaugural chancellor of City of Glasgow College
-
Masked teenage thug left man permanently scarred in Sauchiehall Street knife attack
-
Huge crowds gather in protest outside Glasgow city centre building
She will remain a councillor until the local elections next May, but her successor as leader will be decided today.
Her comments come as a motion is brought before Glasgow City Council highlighting a "shocking increase" in reported rapes and sexual crimes over the past five years.
Ms Aitken added: "I do believe Glasgow is a safe city, but I believe that Glasgow is a city like all other cities, which are also experiencing similar types of increases.
"We are seeing the legal and social rights of not just women and girls, LGBTQ+ people, and people of colour, but also people from ethnic minorities, being reversed, and that is, I believe, the real issue causing an increase in crimes of sexual violence against women and girls."
Ms Aitken said: "I have walked through the city centre regularly.
"I did so last Saturday, in fact. I came to the phased reopening of George Square. It was brilliant. Then I spent some time with friends and walked through Merchant City.
"I'm not saying it isn't an issue.
"We know there are some hotspots in the city centre right now where there is visible anti-social behaviour and visible criminality.
"We're working with our colleagues in Police Scotland. Clearly, they take the lead on that."
Ms Aitken has faced criticism in the past for the state of the city centre, having previously said it needed to be "spruced up", though she maintains that ongoing efforts have led to improvement
Share