Stuart Patrick: It matters that we get this right
There has been no shortage of criticism levelled at Glasgow City Council for the management of the city centre
There has been no shortage of criticism levelled at Glasgow City Council for the management of the city centre
Of all the initiatives Glasgow Chamber of Commerce would like to see progress in 2024, the rebirth of Sauchiehall Street and a fuller recovery for the city’s wider city centre sit at the top of our list
Much of the progress Glasgow Chamber pursues for the city’s economy takes longer than any single year to deliver but in 2024 there will be significant milestones reached.
This year started with tension between the business community and the Scottish Government thanks to a flurry of measures like the Deposit Return Scheme and the alcohol advertising consultation that paid scant attention to business concerns
In my constant search for positive signals for the future of Glasgow’s economy, Monday was a good day. If you want to see evidence of the new science and technology rich industries emerging in our city, I recommend a tour of our research universities.
Among the changes made this week in the UK Government line-up, I noted George Freeman’s resignation as Science Minister with some regret.
Yesterday over 800 delegates gathered at the Glasgow Science Centre for an event exploring the progress Scotland is making in building an economy through innovation. The Can Do Innovation Summit is an annual opportunity to bring people together to explore current tech trends and put some of our most impressive SMEs in tech heavy industries on display.
If there is one Chamber of Commerce member message I have been getting consistently over the past 18 months it is that Glasgow city centre is not in the shape members would like it to be.
Challenged by Professor Chik Collins, director of the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH), to describe the changes in Glasgow’s economy since 2003, I spent some time interrogating regional economic data published by the Scottish Government. Given the steady – and not altogether unfair – criticism Glasgow is receiving for its current appearance, it’s worth sharing the results.
The prospects for a positive message emerging from the Scottish Government’s budget statement in December look especially bleak this year. There is no more money, we are told, with worrying signals for public services as important as education, skills and economic development.
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