'Housings the biggest crisis': Glasgow South West constituents speak before election

THE Glasgow Times is taking a look at the city's six constituencies ahead the General Election on Thursday, July 4.

Glasgow South West is a new seat spreading from Govan down to Parkhouse and taking in Ibrox, Cessnock, Tradeston, Pollokshields, Mosspark, Corkerhill, Crookston, Pollok, Nitshill, Priesthill and Darnley.

The seat goes from the River Clyde in the north down to its boundary with Renfrewshire East at Darnley Country Park and from Govan, Crookston and South Nitshill in the west to its border with Glasgow South in the east.

After boundary changes that saw Glasgow go from seven to six seats, Glasgow South West is mostly made up of the old Glasgow South West and parts of the old Glasgow South and Glasgow Central constituencies.

READ NEXT: 'Poverty is a big factor here': Glasgow South constituents speak ahead of election

Glasgow South West (Image: electoralcalculus.co.uk)
The election is likely to be a straight contest between SNP and Labour candidates, with the predicted winner for the majority of the wards being SNP.

Chris Stephens was the previous Glasgow South MP, having won the seat for the SNP from Labour's Ian Davidson in 2015 and holding it in the 2017 and 2019 elections.

He is being challenged by Zubir Ahmed from the Scottish Labour Party, Mamun Ur Rashid of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and Paul McGarry of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

(Image: Gordon Terris, Newsquest)

The Govan Community Project is a community-based organisation working in south west Glasgow supporting Govan's diverse community and refugees and people seeking asylum across the city.

Traci Kirkland, head of charity, says she believes poverty and housing are areas of concern for the local community.

She said: "Poverty is one of the huge issues, particularly the level of food insecurity in the area.

"As well as working for Govan Community Project I'm also a resident in the constituency area as well so the general economy of the area is a real concern.

"We've got this great new opportunity with the new Govan-Partick Bridge but there's nothing in the area that will encourage people to come across the bridge to this side to benefit the local economy.

"And housing is the biggest crisis we're facing."

READ NEXT: Glasgow West: From Partick to Drumchapel the battle for votes

(Image: Gordon Terris, Newsquest)

Traci, who lives in Ibrox, says the Govan Community Project helps "a lot of people" who have no recourse to public funds and she would like to see changes to immigration policies.

The 54-year-old said: "We would love to see the UK Government take that clause away and to just give people basic human rights.

"That affects a lot of the people we work with as does housing, people being accommodated whilst they're in the asylum process, then maybe getting granted refugee status and they're suddenly dumped in hotels all over again and the impact that has on people's mental health is really at crisis level for many people."

She continued: "I would like to see some of the hostile environment policies reduced.

"I would like to see the scrapping of the Illegal Migration Act because of the impact that has on people in our constituency and constituencies across Scotland.

"And I would like to see more employment support for people, I would like to see people not waiting over six weeks to get Universal Credit when they're entitled to it which creates poverty and I'd like to see housing solutions for people."

(Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Glasgow SW Foodbank, supported by The Trussell Trust, has five centres including ones in Ibrox, Linthouse and Priesthill.

Claire McCunnie, development manager, agrees that poverty is an issue in the area, as well as social isolation and a lack of resources for young people.

She said: "I think there's a wide range of issues.

"We do have a poverty issue in the area.

"I also think there is a bit of social isolation with some people still and I think there's not enough for youths in the area and I think that goes right across South West from Govan to Pollok.

"For the younger kids that are coming up and trying to make something of their lives, I don't feel like there's much. There's a few things but not to the scale I feel it should be."

(Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Claire, who lives in Govan, says she would like to see somebody "guarantee the essentials" for people.

The 39-year-old said: "We know that putting money in people's pockets helps.

"Even during Covid when they put £20 extra into people's bank accounts that stopped people coming to us, then they took it away and that brought them back again.

"We've noticed the cost of living payment when they go out stops people coming to our door.

"We need to guarantee people's essentials and right now we're not doing it.

"My hope is decisions are made around people and what they're experiencing."

There are seven candidates registered to stand in the election for Glasgow South West.

AHMED Zubir - Scottish Labour Party

HAMELINK John - Scottish Greens

MCGARRY Paul - Scottish Liberal Democrats

MCRAE Morag - Reform UK

OSY Tony - Alba Party: Yes to Scottish Independence

RASHID Mamun Ur - Scottish Conservatives and Unionist

STEPHENS Chris - Scottish National Party (SNP)

Glasgow South West result in 2019

Chris Stephens SNP - 17,643 (47.9%)

Matt Kerr Lab - 12,743 (34.6%)

Thomas Haddow Con - 4224 (11.5%)

Ben Denton-Cardew LibDem - 1435 (3.9%)

Peter Brown The Brexit Party - 802 (2.2%)