£6.5M boost for Glasgow cleansing services: 200 new jobs announced
Glasgow City Council’s 2025 budget includes a £6.5 million boost for cleansing services. The funding will support city-wide improvements, including more staff at Polmadie Recycling Centre and maintenance to Victoria and Pollok Park.
By James McAleer and Samar Jamal | Photo by John Bowden
Glasgow’s long-running battle for better cleansing services has reached a turning point, with a £6.5 million investment secured – funded by a 7.5% increase in council tax. This funding will bring city-wide improvements, including additional staffing at Polmadie Recycling Centre and upgrades to parks like Victoria and Pollok Park.
The investment, announced as part of Glasgow City Council’s yearly budget, will create 200 new full-time jobs, with 150 staff dedicated to street cleaning and 50 focused on park maintenance. Among the changes, Polmadie Recycling Centre will gain 40 extra night-shift deep-clean staff to ease pressure on daytime crews, while 10 new enforcement officers will be hired to tackle fly-tipping, an ongoing issue in areas like Govanhill.
For residents, the improvements can’t come soon enough. One long-term Govanhill resident welcomed the increased funding, saying that while the area has steadily improved over the years, persistent rubbish problems continue to be a major issue: "It’s not just an eyesore – it’s unhygienic, attracting rats and other vermin," they said. "Hopefully, this funding will help sort these issues out. Effective prosecution of fly-tippers would make a huge difference – we seem to be a prime target for illegal dumping."
Council Leader Susan Aitken framed the budget as a necessary step after years of austerity, arguing that while the impact of past funding cuts can’t be undone overnight, this investment marks progress in addressing Glasgow’s challenges. Meanwhile, Councillor Soryia Siddique underscored that the improvements come at the cost of a council tax hike, stressing the need for real results. She pointed to persistent concerns in Govanhill missed bin collections, overflowing rubbish, infestations, and littered streets – and called on the SNP-Green council to deliver an effective service.
Campaigners also hailed the investment as a major win for cleansing workers. Lily Gordon Brown, a spokesperson for Living Rent Govanhill, credited the GMB union’s years of pressure for securing the funding. She highlighted past activism, including community-led clean-ups and protests that saw rubbish piled outside Queens Park gates and the City Chambers to expose the council’s neglect. Now, she says, it’s time for the council to follow through and ensure every neighborhood benefits.
Beyond cleansing services, the council’s budget also includes:
£3m to expand universal free school meals
£8m for renewable energy, flood prevention, and other climate initiatives
£9.5m to buy and transform empty properties and land
£4m to support community-based health and social work services
In an exclusive column written for The Splash Glasgow, GMB Convenor, Chris Mitchell said: This won’t be a reactive service anymore; it will be proactive and consistent, ensuring every neighbourhood gets the attention it deserves. When they told me we’d secured 200 new jobs, I was stunned. This is a game-changer, not just for our members but for the people of Glasgow. Our parks – some of the largest urban green spaces in Europe—have been neglected for too long.”
These investments signal a significant shift in Glasgow’s approach, but residents and campaigners alike will be watching closely to see if the promised improvements materialise.