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james73 · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject:

Drugs 'cause' higher death rate (BBC)

Scotland's higher death rate compared with England and Wales is partly
down to greater drug use, a new investigation has suggested.

A Glasgow University study, published in the British Medical Journal, said
a third of the additional deaths north of the Border resulted from drug
abuse.

Higher death rates have traditionally been blamed on deprivation.(#)

Scotland's death rate is 15% higher than in England and Wales and the
gap has widened over the past 30 years.

In the face of a general rise in living standards, the figures puzzled
researchers.

____________________________________________

# - Surely habitual drug-taking is a symptom of deprivation?

James H

_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 2:16 pm Post subject:

£187M to bring slum homes in city up to scratch (Evening Times)

CAMPAIGNERS today warned that a community in Glasgow needed more
than £187million to bring slum homes up to standard.

A detailed study of 131 typical tenement properties in Govanhill found even
carrying out essential repairs would cost an average of £80,000 per home -
and there are hundreds more just like them.

Today Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell toured the area as
campaigners called for it to be made a special case meriting national
assistance.

Mr Maxwell was invited by Councillor Anne Marie Millar to see for himself the
multiple problems faced by residents and agencies supporting them.

The visit follows months of campaigning against slum housing, often in
flats operated by private landlords. Local politicians and voluntary groups
are calling for stronger legal powers and crucial extra funding to tackle
decades of neglect that has left several hundreds homes below tolerable
standard.

In a briefing to the minister, councillors warned: "Under the legislation as
it currently stands, failure of a private landlord to comply with legislation
requirements will at no stage involve the ultimate sanction of prison.

"Given the large cash flows and high assets of many landlords involved in
Govanhill, this may make enforcement very difficult."

Litter and fly-tipping are rife and racial tensions have risen in the past two
years.

The survey carried out by Govanhill Housing Association, with Glasgow
City Council backing, has revealed the extent of the difficulties caused by
slum housing.It was conducted on a typical Govanhill tenement block,
surrounded by: Allison Street, Langside Road, Dixon Avenue and
Westmoreland Street.

This area has been dubbed "Ground Zero" by locals.

In the block, researchers heard 14 languages spoken in the 131 flats they
visited.

Not one flat met the minimum tolerable standard for Scottish housing.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:02 pm Post subject:

Scots living longer – but not in Glasgow (Evening Times)

SCOTS are living longer but still die earlier than people in most European
countries, new figures reveal.

And only three Scottish council areas - including East Dunbartonshire -
have residents whose life expectancy is better than the UK average.

Figures from the General Register Office for Scotland show Glasgow has
the shortest male life expectancy for men, at 70.8 years, while East
Dunbartonshire has the longest, at 78.

Glasgow also has the lowest life expectancy for women, at 77.1 years.

Scots have among the lowest life expectancy of 27 European countries,
with men having lives 0.4 years shorter than the EU average and women
nearly two years shorter.

For both, life expectancy is four years shorter than in the countries with
the longest life expectancy - Cyprus and Sweden for men, and France
and Spain for woman. Only the former Soviet bloc states rank below
Scotland.

Compared with 10 years ago, Scots' life expectancy has improved by
two-and-a-half years for men and by nearly two years for women.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject:

Poverty the reality for ‘98%’ of East End kids (Evening Times)

ALMOST every single child in large parts of Glasgow's East End is living in, or
on the brink of, poverty, according to a damning report published today.

A shocking total of 98% of youngsters in parts of Easterhouse and Barlanark
are living in poor families, statistics from Barnardo's show.

The figures, which are based on families receiving work-related benefits rather
than a regular income, showed more than 107,000 children in Glasgow live
in poverty.

More than half the families on work-related benefits are officially in poverty,
while all are "struggling".

Those not yet in poverty are "on the brink", according to the report, which
was carried out on behalf of the Campaign to End Child Poverty.

Campaigners believe the UK-wide report gives the most realistic picture
yet of the hardship faced by children.

It shows 174 Westminster constituencies - including all seven in Scotland's
largest city - had 50% or more children living in, or almost in, poverty.

The Glasgow figure is 63%, rising to 98% in parts of Barlanark and Easterhouse.

Poverty campaign chairman Martin Narey said: "Pockets of our country
are in turmoil.

"These figures show us that there are millions more children than originally
thought being failed by the system."

A Scottish campaign spokesman said: "We need to see action at a national
and a local level to help families out of poverty.

"We need to look at the levels of wages across the country and put far
more targeted money into the tax credit system so that working people
can afford to look after their families.

"We also need to look at improving the provision of affordable childcare
to let parents work.

"And all families living in poverty would benefit from wider access to free
school meals and clothing grants."

The campaign has called for energy companies to offer "social tariffs" to
families on the breadline, with meters that charge more fairly.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:01 pm Post subject:

It’s just a complete waste of vital space (Evening Times)

NEARLY 60% of Glasgow residents live within a stone's throw of an eyesore.

Now a new report warns the amount of derelict land is a blight on the city
which impacts on how people view their community.

And it admits: "At current rates of progress it will take decades to rid the
city's stock of derelict land. Its impact is baleful."

Over the last 10 years, the level of vacant land in the city fell by more
than 20% as work was done to prepare sites for new homes, offices and
other developments.

But despite that, a recent survey identified there were still 920 empty
rundown sites in the city with the main concentrations in the north and
east.

Steve Inch, city council executive director of development and regeneration,
said: "Glasgow accounts for a substantial proportion of derelict land in
Scotland."

The city has 3133 acres of land lying empty which represents 12.4% of
the Scottish total.

That means almost 60% of Glasgow residents live within 500 metres of an
eyesore site.

Ironically, the problems facing the city are caused in part by the massive
regeneration schemes being carried out.

Demolition of sub-standard housing has left large areas of vacant ground
as has work on the M74 and the school closure programme.

The credit crunch will not help the situation as it will almost certainly
result in a slump in the number of new developments.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:18 pm Post subject:

Scots 50% more likely to die from lung cancer (Evening Times)

PEOPLE in the West of Scotland are much more likely to develop lung cancer
than anywhere else in the UK.

For every two patients in the rest of the country, three people here will
get the disease, a national study released today reveals.

And the National Cancer Intelligence Network warned those who developed
the disease here were more likely to die from it.

Patients in the West of Scotland had a death rate 30% higher than the rest
of Scotland - and a full 50% higher than the rest of the UK.

Researchers found that a man's risk of developing the disease in the south
west of England is just two thirds that of women here.

Professor David Forman said: "Smoking rates are around 5% higher in
Scotland and this significantly contributes to the higher rates of lung
cancer.

"Smoking is responsible for nearly nine in 10 cases of lung cancer."

The report is based on a fresh analysis of figures from 2005 and does not
include any impact from the public smoking ban, which started in Scotland
in 2006 and a year later in England.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:28 pm Post subject:

Life ‘blighted by city neds’ (Evening Times)

THOUSANDS of people in Glasgow feel their lives are blighted by neds
and drunks.

A survey shows that 40% of the city's residents say their quality of life
has been affected by anti-social behaviour over the past two years.

The figures are revealed in the Glasgow Household Survey, formerly the
Citizens' Panel.

Three years ago the same survey showed that 60% of people were afraid to
venture into Glasgow City Centre after dark.

They were worried about being attacked or robbed and that the city centre
was a dangerous place to be at night.

Even frequent pub-goers said they did not feel safe and wanted more police
on the beat.

Other top complaints have centred on dirty streets, traffic congestion and
expensive parking.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:50 pm Post subject:

105,000 city families in fuel poverty (Evening Times)

AROUND 105,000 Glasgow families face a miserable winter because they
cannot afford to heat their homes, a report says.

Earlier this year city councillors were told around 72,000 families did not
have enough money to pay heating bills.

Tomorrow the council's executive committee will be told that number is
believed to have soared by another 33,000 due to two recent substantial
fuel bill increases.

They included a 35% rise in gas bills and 9% on electricity from Scottish
Gas in July, while other firms have also imposed major increases.

Of the 105,000 affected families, about 35,000 are estimated to have
"extreme" problems finding the cash to stay warm.

Households are said to be in fuel poverty if they have to spend at least
10% of their disposable income on heating and lighting.

In an attempt to ease the problem, Glasgow's councillors will be asked to
set up a team to advise people struggling to pay.

That could include ensuring householders make the best use of energy in
their homes, advising on the best possible fuel tariffs, and helping those
who qualify to access special low bills available to the most needy.

Advice workers are likely to travel across the city to host regular sessions
in the offices of organisations such as Citizens Advice, Money Advice, credit
unions and housing associations.

They would also meet individuals referred to them and talk to people in
their homes.

George Ryan, council spokesman for development and regeneration, said:
"Fuel poverty is a major issue for the city and the numbers mentioned are
staggering.

It is obviously a huge concern for the council.

"We want to create a team of experts so the council can be the conduit to
get the money flowing to the people who need it the most."

The move was welcomed by the charity Help the Aged Scotland, which
said the majority of people in Glasgow suffering fuel poverty are elderly.

A spokesman added: "Many people cannot afford to switch the central
heating on because it costs too much.

"Also, many older people do not have access to the internet, so they lose
out because they cannot access the price comparison sites."

A spokeswoman for ScottishPower said it backed any scheme aimed at
helping the most vulnerable manage their finances.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:52 pm Post subject:

Third of Scots 'breadline poor' (BBC)

Almost a third of Scottish households are "breadline poor", according to
research commissioned by the BBC.

Changing UK - a study conducted by Sheffield University - looked at how
nations and regions within Britain have altered over the past four decades.

It said Scotland had the largest number of poor people in each of the last
four decades, as well as the highest death rate of all 14 regions examined.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) described the figures as "a
scandal".

The data was drawn from official sources and divided into 14 BBC
television regions and 45 BBC Radio station areas, with Scotland defined
as one of the TV regions.

The report said that in each decade since 1970, Scotland had the highest
proportion of people in the breadline poor category.

The category is defined as a poverty line so low that people are excluded
from participating in "the norms of society".

In 1970, 27% of the Scottish population was classed as breadline poor,
with the figure dropping to 23% in 1980.

By 1990, 27% of Scots fell into the category, but this rose to 32% in
2000, according to the report.

The proportion of people in Scotland classified as "asset wealthy" also
rose, while the middle category of non-poor, non-wealthy was squeezed,
indicating that the gap between rich and poor had widened over the
40-year period.

John Dickie, head of CPAG in Scotland said: "Across Scotland the number
of families living below the poverty line remains a scandal.

"There is nothing inevitable about this injustice, an injustice that damages
children's health, education and wellbeing in profound ways.

"Whilst real progress has been made in the last 10 years in tackling child
poverty, that progress has not gone far enough and has recently stalled
completely."

He called for "substantial extra investment" in child benefit and tax credits
from the UK Government.

James H
_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....

james73 · Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 1:50 pm Post subject:

Planners set to decide on £15m project (Evening Times)

A MAJOR £15million regeneration project in one of Glasgow's most deprived
areas has taken a step forward.

Proposals to create a state-of-the-art employment, business and health
hub in Saracen Street in Possil will go before council planners next week.
The project will include a training and learning base for the unemployed
and the potential to build new affordable housing at a site that has lain
derelict for 15 years.

The first phase of the Saracen Exchange project will create a business
centre, health centre and public space.

Phase two will include retail units, housing association office space and
the potential to build low cost homes.

The project, which is expected to be completed by 2011, is being headed
up by Glasgow North Regeneration Agency, which said it would bring
lasting economic social and health benefits to the area.

James H

_________________
The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....