Case Studies   The Glasgow Case Study. The Gorbals

Vision for the Gorbals

The vision for the area was developed by a group of officers from key agencies working in the area. This officers group, dominated by the local authority, was actually an effective way of ensuring linkages between local services. For example when the new sports centre was being planned Gorbals Initiative was able to work with the local authority to identify skill needs and develop training programmes which enabled local residents to secure jobs in this new centre. However it must also be said that the groups had no community representation and represented a top down approach.

The vision was that Gorbals should become –

•  A thriving part of Glasgow's inner city with its own identity and an urban character – an attractive area, conveniently close to the city centre, in which people want to live, work, invest and enjoy their leisure.

•  Primarily a high quality residential area with a population of approximately 16,000 served by a full range of local shops, public services and community facilities, and complemented by a significant industrial presence. The aim was to create an area of mixed housing tenure, 25% owner occupied, 75% social.

•  An area characterised by new housing on a human scale, developing to a medium density with a good tenure mix; existing residents seeing considerable improvements to their housing quality and environment.

•  A balanced community characterised by a wide diversity of household types and a broad mix of social, economic and cultural groupings.

•  An area where poverty is minimised (and health improved) through economic development and other means, and access to jobs eased by better educational attainment, training and child care facilities; an area characterised also by the availability of good play, sport, leisure, cultural and community facilities.

The Officers group were successful in securing Social Inclusion Partnership status for the area and the process of establishing the SIP Board did engage the community. It is interesting to note that the Community representatives did actually embrace the vision for the area. The work of the earlier officers group formed the foundation of the SIP.

The Gorbals SIP, as a partnership consisting of the local community and local agencies working in the area has developed a strategic framework with seven themes –

•  Art and Culture;

•  Health;

•  Community Safety;

•  Lifelong Learning;

•  Employment Training and Job Access;

•  Community Capacity Building ;

•  Housing, the Environment and Infrastructure.

A baseline study was conducted on behalf of the SIP in 2001 and progress is measured against a series of key indicators. Accurate baseline information at a neighbourhood level has, however, been difficult to secure. There was an over reliance on ‘sampling' via the use of a People Panel, consisting of local residents who had volunteered to take part in surveys. The fact that they are volunteers has an impact on the results as they tend to be the more motivated and able members of the community. So much of the baseline data has to be treated with a degree of caution.

The task is further complicated as the Gorbals takes in one local authority political ward and part of another. Most data, when broken down to neighbourhood level, is produced by ward. However this has improved over recent years with a range of new data being produced at SIP level.

An example of this is school leaver destinations. The Gorbals does not have a secondary school and local school children attend a number of schools citywide so this information was historically impossible to identify. However we now have this data at SIP level, 28% of school leavers from the Gorbals immediately become unemployed.

The OEDC report stated

‘Evaluation and monitoring are standard requirements of all agencies and public bodies; Gorbals and Govan Initiative are highly respected organisations whose added value is undisputed. They are an asset to Glasgow and have an important role in promoting area based urban regeneration.'

Regeneration in the Gorbals – Key Partners and Partnerships    The Gorbals Today: Challenges and Opportunities